A Taste of Innocence
by Dil9
Summary: A look of sweet innocence, a touch of desire that's all it took to make Edward want to rescue this beauty from the clutches of his philandering father. She was so different from the others, why had his father asked her out? A bit of mystery with a touch of romance and drama. EXB
1. Chapter 1 A meeting to remember

_Summary: A look of sweet innocence, a touch of desire. That's all it took to make Edward want to rescue this beauty from the clutches of his philandering father._

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: Although this was submitted as a one-shot for the Taste of the Forbidden Contest, at the request of many readers who reviewed the story during the contest, I have decided to continue it as a multi-chapter story.**

**Chapter 1**

**A Meeting to Remember**

**Edward's POV**

Dark chocolate brown glanced around nervously as she clung to the arm of the man near her. It was obvious she was not used to the glitter and glamour surrounding her. She was just another trophy for him. I'd seen the long line of hopefuls on multi-billionaire Carlisle Cullen's arm. I would know, after all – I was his son.

But this one was different. The look in her eyes and shy smile screamed innocence. I couldn't let him destroy her. I had watched how he'd manipulate, use, and then discard the women he dated. He only loved one woman, and that was my mother. She passed away when I was ten, and ever since then, Carlisle had played the field, never settling down. I had first felt sorry for him, but the last few years had made me realise that what he was doing was wrong. I had warned him numerous times about his extracurricular activities, but he always stated that the women knew what they were getting into. He was right on that front, since it was no secret that he would only date a woman for a short time and then let her go.

But the beautiful woman by his side today felt all wrong. She didn't seem to be his usual style. Dressed in a long emerald dress, she looked like a goddess. The cut was not too revealing, but it failed to hide the voluptuous curves that begged for a man's touch. I felt a tightening in my groin. I wanted her. It was an uneasy feeling, and I felt that what I was about to do was all kinds of wrong, but I didn't want her to have any illusions about Carlisle's intentions. I was only going to distract her and confuse her so that she would leave him. Carlisle was not going to be happy with me. But this would be the first time that I ever defied him. To be honest, he was a good father, and I never questioned his business acumen. I was the perfect son following in his father's footsteps, although I never cared for trophy women. My relationships were all real – well, next to non-existent at present due to work pressure.

I was going to defy him today. I tried to convince myself that what I was doing was right. I was no longer under his shadow. Today, he had handed over the reins of his company to me. I had worked hard for that position. My father's voice brought me out of my musings.

"Isabella, meet Edward Cullen, my son." He turned to her and motioned to me.

"Edward, meet Isabella Swan." A shy smile spread across her angelic face.

"It's nice to meet you." She offered a tiny hand, and I couldn't resist planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand. I was shocked at the powerful shudder that shook my frame at the touch of her hand in mine. It was as if an electrical current had passed through us. The bewildered look on her face confirmed that she felt it too.

"It's a…a pleasure." I smiled my most dazzling smile at her, trying to cover my confusion. Women had labelled it a panty-dropping smile, and I was not above using it to make this woman mine. Right on cue, a beautiful blush covered Isabella's porcelain skin. I felt myself holding my breath.

"Cut the crap, Edward," Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head. I stood with them for a while, talking to others who came to congratulate me or Carlisle on the successful transition. Today's function was all about celebrating the exchange of power between Carlisle and me. He would still be my mentor, but I would be running the company from this day onwards. Carlisle wanted to retire to a quiet life and go fishing. I huffed at that thought. Somehow, Carlisle and fishing did not seem to mix. One of our numerous well-wishers dragged Carlisle away to talk to another. This was the opportunity I was waiting for all night.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Swan?" I turned to the beauty beside me. Isabella smiled at me.

"Only if you don't mind getting trampled." Her soft voice was barely audible.

"Why is that, Miss Swan?"

"Well, to be honest, this is the first time I've ever been to a function like this. I have no idea how to dance." I frowned. I was right about my assessment of her inexperience. I wondered where my father met her.

"Then let me introduce you to the joys of dancing."

"Don't let me fall, Mr. Cullen." She had a concerned look on her face as I led her to the dance floor.

"Edward. You can call me Edward," I muttered distractedly, as once again I felt the strange connection between us when I held her hand.

"Edward." The sound of her voice whispering my name sent a strange thrill down my spine. I didn't go to question it. I slowly led her to the dance floor, which was now very crowded.

I pulled her close to me, and the same tingle that passed through my body when I first touched her made an appearance. I was instantly hard. I had never had this reaction to a woman before, and I was shocked by what was happening to me. I pulled her even closer but made sure I didn't touch her with my hard-on. Hopefully the folds of her dress would hide my little problem from the dancers around us. I was acting like a school boy. I tried willing myself to calm down. I decided it would be better to try to focus on something else expect her proximity to me.

"So, tell me about yourself. How did you meet Carlisle?"

"I work as a legal assistant at Cullen Enterprises for my internship. I'm studying to become a lawyer."

"That's impressive. How old are you, Isabella?"

"You are not supposed to ask a lady her age." Oh shit! Why was it that I was forgetting common courtesies when I was with her?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be offensive," I apologised.

"I don't mind. I'm 23. What about you?" I smiled down at her. She was not pretentious, and I felt that her earlier reprimand was just banter.

"I'm 26. I'm sure it's written all over the tabloids." I gave a harsh laugh. My life was an open book, and the gossip mongers were trying to have a field day with me, just like they did with my father. That was why I had avoided women like the plague the past few years, not giving them any ammunition to slam me.

"Oh I don't get the time to read them. Anyway, most of the stuff in there is not true." She was wrong there. Most of the stuff about Carlisle written there was mostly true. He provided them with their content. I wondered whether they'd go out of business if he quit his current philandering ways.

"Well, you should know that there is never smoke without a fire. You don't have to believe everything you read, but some of it is based on fact."

"Do you think so?" A worried frown crossed her face.

"I don't think so…I know so." I gave her my all-knowing look. She was hesitant to form the words she wanted to ask next. I could see it in her expression.

"What is it, Miss Swan? You can talk to me."

"It's Bella."

"I'm sorry?"

"My name is Bella. You can call me Bella."

"Bella." I tested her name. It felt right.

"Do you think…I mean, do you think that what they write about your father is true?" Worried brown eyes met mine.

"What do you think?" I didn't want to come out and say it. I searched the room around us. Maybe I could show her. I was right – Carlisle was already wrapped intimately around a blond bombshell dancing around in one corner. I showed him to Bella with my eyes.

"Oh!" She gasped in shock.

"Yes, oh," I chuckled, but it was not in humour.

"I…I think I want to go home now."

"Oh come now, Bella. We just met. And I promise you that I'm nothing like him, and I want to show you a good time tonight." I smiled my crooked smile at her. This one was supposed to be my endearing smile. I know I was going way out of line, but I just didn't want her to leave even though it was now very unlikely that she would pursue a relationship with Carlisle.

"I don't know." She seemed hesitant.

"What is there to know, Bella? Please stay with me. I'd like to spend the evening with a beautiful woman." Her chocolate eyes seemed surprised.

"You think…you think I'm beautiful?" she stammered, now blushing a very enticing shade of red.

"Isabella, you are one of the most beautiful woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."

I was not lying – she was breath-taking. She leaned against me, hiding her face in my chest. The gesture was so sweet and innocent. I held her closer to my body. She suddenly gasped and looked right up at me and then blushed a heavenly red, hiding her face once again against the lapel of my tuxedo.

_What was that all about?_ Then I felt it. She rubbed against my hardness. It was then that I realised she must have felt me. She didn't seem to pull back, so I discreetly moved against her, making no secret of why I was holding her so close. She sighed, and the hands that were now around my neck tightened.

We didn't speak – just held each other close. This moment was surreal. I made no movement to drag her closer or rub more intimately against her. The slight friction was all I wanted to feel. I was a man with needs, but somehow my pleasure took a backseat when it came to this woman. I was more than satisfied just holding her tightly to me. After a while, as the music moved on to a faster a beat, I let go of her, moving her according to the new tempo. It was then that her eyes suddenly widened. I looked over my shoulder, focusing on what got her attention. Carlisle was groping and kissing or more like devouring the blond he was holding.

"Edward, I want to go home. Can you call me a cab?"

It was already late, and I really didn't want to let her go at least without getting to know her more.

"I'll take you home," I said without hesitation.

"I don't want to trouble you, and it's your party."

I chuckled humourlessly. "Bella, it's late, and most of the others have already left. I don't think they'll miss me now." I nodded my head towards my father, who was the only one who would miss me. And an SMS would take care of the good byes there.

"Okay, if you are sure." She smiled her sweet smile at me.

"I'm sure." I took her to my car and asked directions to her place. Once we arrived, I got out and opened her door for her. At least Carlisle taught me gentlemanly manners. I chuckled darkly at the thought. She took the hand I offered and slowly got out of the car.

"This is it. Thank you very much, Edward, for bringing me home." Her shy smile met mine, and I felt like I was on my first date. She really did bring long-lost feelings inside of me. I had hardened myself in to a cold, unfeeling businessman over the years. The corporate world was not a place for naivety, and I tried to abide by the rules.

"It was my pleasure. Shall I see you up?" I didn't want to let her go just yet. I wanted to know where she lived.

"Oh, yes. Thank you." She led the way up a staircase in the small apartment complex and came to a halt outside her door.

"Well, here we are." She smiled again, and I had an irresistible urge to kiss her. I leaned down and kissed those pouty pink lips I had been eying all night. I didn't expect the shudder that overtook me or the mindless need in me to deepen the kiss. She was right there with me, kissing me as if her life depended on it. I probed her lips, and she opened for me. As I played with her mouth, I gripped her hips, and I couldn't help pushing my need aggressively against her. She met each push with a nudge of her own. It was clear that she was as eager as I was. I moved my hands over her body, cupping her right breast over her dress in my hand. I wanted her. I needed her. It was the sound of a door banging somewhere in the vicinity that finally brought me back from my passion-induced haze. We hastily pulled back from each other.

"Bella, we should stop. I'm…err sorry for… acting like this." I ran a hand through my now-messy hair which moments before had felt her touch.

"I…err…I didn't mind." She wasn't looking at me, and she was blushing furiously.

"I…" I cleared my throat. A lump had formed there. I didn't want to go. I should get her number and call her up some other time.

"I… had a great time."

"Would you like to come in for coffee?" Bella's whispered words made my heart hammer wildly in my chest. This was almost the universal code of prolonging the evening, and I was prepared to grab at any strings offered right now.

"Yes, sure. That will be great." I stammered.

_What was the matter with me? Where was the smooth talking businessman? What would Carlisle think of me? Yeah, right – way to go, Edward, you've gone home with his date and now you are trying to get into her pants. It's not the time to worry about what he would think._

I took a deep breath and followed Bella in as she opened the door. I barely had the time to look around once she locked the door when she pounced on me. I couldn't hide my surprise. She grabbed on to my lapels and pushed me back against the closed door, kissing me aggressively. I didn't think she had it in her. Who was I to resist her? I kissed her back with equal passion.

"I want you, Edward. I want you so bad." Oh, my God. Her voice was husky and filled with need. She pulled at my jacket, and I pushed it off my shoulders. I moved my lips to her collar bone, sucking on it and tracing the neck line of her dress.

"I want you too, sweetheart," I admitted. I barely recognised my own voice. I reached for the zipper of her dress, pulling it and pushing the straps of her dress so that it fell to the floor. The sight that greeted me took my breath away. She wasn't wearing a bra, and dusky pink nipples pebbled as I watched. She was wearing only a red thong under her dress. Her alabaster skin looked flawless in the moonlight shining in through the window. She had not even bothered to put the light on.

"You look stunning." I ran my eyes greedily over her almost-naked body. She blushed once more. It was like she was two people – the aggressive seductress from a moment before was nowhere to be seen now. She just stood there, her hands nervously entwined in front of her. When she moved to cover her breasts, I stopped her.

"No, love, I want to see you." I leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and once again the seductress was back. She grabbed me and moved her lips against me in hunger. I heard the sound of buttons getting strewn all over the carpet when she tore my shirt off me. Her soft hands hesitantly moved over my chest.

"Where's the bedroom?" I needed to get her there soon. I wanted to be inside of her. She pointed towards the hallway, and I carried her bridal-style to her room and lay her down on her bed. I couldn't help just standing there looking at her beautiful body spread out for me. She immediately moved to cover herself again.

"No, no, sweetheart." I nodded my head.

"You are wearing way too many clothes, Edward." She glanced shyly at me then looked away.

"Well, I can remedy that." I quickly took off the rest of my clothing. I hesitated when I reached my boxers, but she wasn't looking at me. She had covered her face with her forearm. This only made her breasts to get more prominently displayed for me. I was sure she was unconsciously being seductive. I could hardly breathe for I wanted her so much.

"Now, you sweetheart, are the one with too many clothes." I moved over her and fingered the hem of her thong. She moved her hand and gasped, blushing again when she saw my now very hardened, throbbing erection. She closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away. I was surprised by her gesture. Was she scared? I knew I was well-endowed but nothing to make her concerned.

"What? Don't you like what you see?" A slow smile spread across her face.

"Oh I like it, Edward. You are a very handsome man." My little seductress was back. She finally met my eyes. I was shocked at the intensity of her smouldering gaze. I wanted her so bad. But first I wanted to worship this delectable body of hers. I kissed her deeply on the lips and then trailed kisses down her jaw. She moaned and traced lines on my back. I loved the tingling caused by her touch. I moved down to her neck and then down to her collar bone. Finally, when I took one of her pink tips in my mouth, she called out my name, bucking her body against me and pulling my hair. Her eyes looked down at me in amazement. I sucked on both of her nipples, blowing on them and watching the goose bumps rise on her flesh. I was too hard to take things slower, so I moved down her body, finally reaching my destination. I once again looked up at her, asking for permission to remove her thong. I could see that the fabric was now drenched through. She nodded her head and sighed as I slowly removed her last piece of clothing. Soft brown curls hid her secrets from me.

I urged her thighs apart and reached down to run my fingers through her swollen folds. She gasped and bit her bottom lip. It was so endearing and sweet. I wanted to taste her. I leaned down and ran my tongue over her glistening folds.

"Oh God, Edward! What are you doing?" She tried to close her thighs.

"You taste delicious, sweetheart… please let me..." She looked scared and bewildered.

"You, err… you want to?" She seemed so unsure, and it was obvious that this was her first time receiving oral. I was surprised that no one had bothered to go down on her.

"Yes, very much. Can I?" Once again, she nodded her head and braced herself on her forearms watching me in wonder. It turned me on more to see her eyes on me when I touched her this intimately.

I licked and teased her, bringing her almost to the brink again and again. Then finally when I sucked on her bundle of nerves, she came, calling my name. She was magnificent in her pleasure. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I wanted her now – I couldn't hold out much longer. I quickly moved over her, asking her the age-old question before mating. Molten chocolate orbs filled with desire met mine and silently nodded yes. I couldn't wait to be inside of her and thrust into her in one smooth stroke. It was then that she screamed my name, this time not in pleasure, and I froze mid-stroke as I felt myself break through her barrier. Oh God! She was a virgin. When I moved to pull out, she held on to my hips, not letting me move. It took a moment to calm myself down enough to form words.

"Bella! God, why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you'd stop."

"Of course I would have stopped." I let out a harsh breath.

"I didn't want you to stop, Edward. I still want you."

"Bella, I… don't know what to say. Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

"Just… just give me a minute." I held still, slowly leaning down to place soft kisses on her face.

"It's okay now. You can move." She told me a few moments later. I tested myself and slowly pulled out, thrusting in again. She moved with me, encouraging me, and soon I could see that she was no longer frowning and her face was once again filled with pleasure.

"Faster, Edward, I think I'm close…oh God…oh God…" She bucked her hips into mine, screaming my name, once again lost in the throes of passion. This time, I joined her. I fell against her side, slowly coming out of her. I hugged her, placing a loving kiss on the top of her head. She sighed, leaning into kiss me on the lips.

"Thank you, Edward. That was… God, that was amazing."

"I agree, sweetheart." I took a deep breath. I had to tell her the truth. She deserved it.

"You… you, my sweet angel, are the best I've ever had." Her eyes lit up and her smile was brilliant.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And I am not going to ever let you go." She laughed.

"Bella, love, will you go out with me?" I asked after a few minutes. I wanted things to be out in the open. I wanted her to know I needed her in my life.

"Yes, Edward. I would love that." Once again, the sweet, innocent smile I loved spread across her lips, now swollen from the forbidden kisses I had stolen from her. Well, hopefully not forbidden to me anymore.

**A/N: So what do you think Carlisle would do when he finds out his son stole his date? What about Bella? Why had Carlisle chosen someone so different from his normal conquests?**

**We are going to have a bit of mystery with romance:). Please do review and let me know what you thought. This chapter was my contest entry for the 'Taste of the Forbidden Contest'. As I got many requests for a continuation of the story I will be continuing this as a multi chapter story. I'll post the next chapter shortly. I wrote this story in just three hours since I only got to know about the contest just five hours before the deadline. Hope you like it. Enjoy!:)**


	2. Chapter 2 Bugged

**Chapter 2- Bugged**

**Edward's POV**

"You've been bugged again Cullen, what did you do this time?" The dreaded words I'd hoped not to hear all morning came through the phone line just as I pulled into the parking lot of Cullen Enterprises.

"As if you don't know Em," I groaned in frustration.

"Last time I checked you stole Carlisle's date from right under his nose," the voice of Emmett McCarthy informed me.

"Oh shit!" So he'd noticed it.

"No shit," droned the voice on the other side. Emmett was the head of security at Cullen Enterprises and one of the three people I would trust my life with. The other two were Jasper Whitlock, my high school best friend now my personal assistant, and Alice, his girlfriend who also worked at Cullen enterprises. Our friendship had begun when Emmett first informed me that my phone had been bugged when I was just eighteen. He had been a rookie security officer at Cullen Enterprises at the time. He had felt that it was an invasion of my privacy that my father bugged my phone. We had been trusted friends since then, but Carlisle had no idea about our close friendship. We had decided to keep things under wraps to save Emmett's job at Cullen Enterprises at the time. I had got another phone number, which I used for all my private calls including maintaining contact with Emmett. He had left Cullen Enterprises when I left for university and then joined back at my insistence after a stint with the secret service. Over the years, Emmett was promoted to head of security, and I was instrumental in it.

Alice and Jasper were keeping their relationship under wraps because of the non-fraternisation policy put in by Carlisle. Unfortunately, he didn't hesitate to break his own policy many times over, but no one questioned him. It was my intention to change this policy along with many other business practises at Cullen Enterprises in the future.

"Am I being tailed?"

"Yes, and your office is also bugged. I'm supposed to be monitoring you at all times."

"What about my house?"

"Nothing there. But I'll let you know if he decides to bug you there as well."

"Jesus Christ!"

"I know."

"So what do I do now?"

"Just be careful. I told him I'll be personally monitoring you, so I'll make sure to erase anything that we think is not appropriate. For Christ's sake Edward, why did you have to take that woman home? Carlisle was just easing up on you."

"Em, she needed me. Did you see the way he flirted with Lauren right in front of Bella?"

"So it's Bella now, huh? I should have known."

"Em, I'm serious. I like her. She's different from Carlisle's usual shit."

"I know, I know. I saw the looks you shared. Lucky for you the old man didn't seem to notice."

"But you noticed."

"I notice everything. Anyway, I'll keep you informed. Oh! By the way…Carlisle just walked into your office."

"Great, just great!" That's all I needed - a confrontation. As soon as I hung up, I saw the message from Jasper, _Casanova here to see you._

As I walked into my office, Carlisle levelled a glare at me. He was seated in my chair behind my desk with his legs on my table. So… he was trying to intimidate me with a show of power. I decided to play it cool, although I was furious.

"Good morning, Carlisle." I offered him a smile as I hung up my coat and walked over to a filing cabinet.

"Edward, how dare you?" He didn't like me acting nonchalant. Just as I thought; he was expecting me to cower and apologise. I wasn't going to do that.

"How dare I what?" I asked him while pretending to inspect a file, not even bothering to look at him.

"You know very well. You took my date and left the party last night." I could tell he was angry.

"I was saving your ass. You should be grateful to me." I don't know where that came from, but just that minute, I knew how to play this. Guess I was his son after all.

"Pray tell me why I should be grateful to you for stealing my girlfriend?" At the word girlfriend my blood started boiling, but years of practise at controlling my anger and expressions came into play and I managed to turn to him with a cynical smile.

"You went and played tongue hockey with that blond bimbo right in front of Bella after abandoning her with me. I tried dancing with her to distract her, but unfortunately, she saw you. She was just about to come and confront you when I suggested I take her home. Believe me… it took a lot of persuasion to get her to agree to leave without causing a scene. I really didn't want my celebration to be shadowed by a showdown with a crazy chick, now would I?" That was exactly how Carlisle would feel if he was in my position, so I decided it was the best way to go.

"So you took her home?"

"Yes."

"You could have called a cab."

"And risk the cabby talking to the media? Or her deciding to come back? I think not." I gave him a half smile. Finally my reasoning seemed to penetrate his mind, and he sighed in defeat.

"You did well Edward. Thank you."

I thanked my lucky stars that I was able to come up with that excuse. If he only knew what I had been up to with his date last night… I quickly looked away, fearing that my feelings would show on my face.

"I did it so that I didn't have to see you plastered all over the tabloids again." I knew that would seal the deal. Carlisle really hated getting his private life splashed all over the rags, although he didn't give up his philandering ways to prevent that from happening. He wanted to have his cake and eat it as well.

"Well, I guess I should fire her ass."

Holy shit! That's not what I wanted.

"Hold on a second. What do you think she'll do if you do that?" I raised my brows in question.

"She wouldn't dare." He glared at me.

"Oh, yes, she would. She's not some blond bimbo. She's a law student." That hit home. He looked thoughtful.

"I guess you're right. Well, I'll have to keep an eye on her." With that, he walked out of the room. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Jasper, let's go. We are late." Luckily for me, we had a client appointment, so I would get to update him while we were out.

I really needed to get in touch with Bella. I knew she would be worried when she didn't hear from me. I hadn't given her my number, but I was planning on calling her in the morning to reassure her that I really wanted to get to know her better. I had a feeling her mind was just as beautiful as her body. Just the thought of her kisses made me get a hard-on.

**Bella's POV**

It was past 11.00 am, and I had still not heard from Edward. He said he'd be calling me in the morning to set up a date with me. Well, I guess he lost interest. He already got what he wanted from me. I sighed. I didn't regret what had happened yesterday, even if it meant that I had been used. Oh, God- that body and that voice. I just had to have him. I had known subconsciously that it was too good to be true when he said I was the best he'd ever had and he'd like to go out with me. He was drop-dead gorgeous, and to top it all, he was the CEO of Cullen Enterprises. He could have any woman he wanted. Why would he saddle himself with a nobody like me? The way he thrust into me, the look in his smouldering eyes as he made me his…I felt the wetness between my legs, and I tried to rub them together as I walked to ease the throbbing. It was the sudden feeling of bumping into something and falling down on my bum that got me out of my daydreams of Edward's lovemaking.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't look where I was going." A small girl with dark, frisky hair and pixie features was apologising to me. She was also on the floor collecting the mass of papers our collusion had scattered all over the floor.

"No, it's my fault- I was pre-occupied." I blushed as I thought of what exactly had been in my mind.

"No, it's my fault entirely. I'm Alice, by the way, and I work in HR. I really have to make this up to you. How about a coffee?" She gave me a huge grin. The smile transformed her face and I could see that she was very pretty, even though she was small in stature.

"Oh, I don't know."

"Please! I insist!"

"I don't think Jessica will be happy if I take too much time off." I thought of my overbaring boss who barely tolerated me and made me do most of the work, while she sat flirting with the administrative assistant, Mike Newton, who, incidentally, had the hots for me. I grimaced at the thought.

"How about lunch, then? It is just half an hour more until lunch time." It seemed odd that this girl was being so friendly and persistent with me, trying to get me to go to lunch with her. I didn't have many friends in office since I was still new, but I didn't want to get trapped into a friendship with this overly enthusiastic girl, either.

"Oh, I don't know. I really don't know you. We can may be share some coffee some other time?"

This time, the pixie-like girl leaned in very close to me and whispered into my ear with a serious expression on her face.

"Oh, I know you very well, Bella… Edward sent me. I have a message from him. Please meet me in the cafeteria for lunch. Don't tell anyone about Edward."

What the hell? She knew my name. I was feeling very suspicious, but remembering the night I had with Edward and wanting to be in touch with him somehow made me nod my head yes. I couldn't help wondering why Edward was being so secretive. I guess he didn't want to draw too much attention to us, what with me being his father's date and all.

I reluctantly gathered my things and waved at the raven-hired girl who flashed me another one of her very enthusiastic smiles. I wondered how Edward knew this girl. She was pretty; I was surprised at how jealous I suddenly was of this unknown girl and her relationship with Edward.

I grudgingly walked into the cafeteria and immediately saw Alice sitting in a corner table away from all the others. As I walked toward her, I suddenly felt nervous. Something was wrong. Why couldn't Edward meet me himself or just call me? He must be trying to let me down easily without bothering to even talk to me face to face when he did it. I sighed and tried to ignore the emptiness I felt at loosing Edward.

"Hi, Bella! I'm so glad you agreed to have lunch with me." I placed my tray in front of hers, and she slowly nudged a cell phone sitting on the table towards me.

"Answer the next call that comes. It's from Edward. Don't speak too loudly." Suddenly I felt as if I was in some spy drama. What the hell was going on?

Right on cue, the phone rang. I stared at it like it was a serpent before Alice nudged me with her foot to get my attention. I quickly grabbed the phone.

"Hello."

"Oh, thank god, Bella." I relaxed as I felt the air rush back into my chest. I didn't know I had been holding my breath.

"Edward?"

"Yes. It's me."

"What's going on? Why didn't you call me on my phone?"

"Bella, listen very carefully. Carlisle is suspicious that something is going on between the two of us. He has bugged my phone as well as yours. Even my office is not safe anymore."

I gasped in shock. What the hell?

"But why?" I felt a bit scared. Was his position at Cullen Enterprises threatened in any way because of me? But Edward was Carlisle's son. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"He's like that, Bella. He doesn't like other people taking away his possessions."

I was surprised at my sudden anger.

"But I'm not one of his possessions." I sounded a bit too harsh in my ears.

"I know, but you were his date, and according to him, I stole you from him last night." Edward sighed.

"But he's the one who left me."

"Unfortunately for you and me, that's not the way he thinks of it. Bella, you have to trust me on this. He can make life extremely unpleasant for both of us if he finds out we are dating." I felt a tremor of excitement at the word dating. So he was serious.

"Take this phone with you when you leave and use it to call me on the number programmed into it under Anthony. Alice's number is also in there. You can trust her. She'll help us. I want to see you, Bella. I think I already miss you." His voice became lower and huskier, and I felt my heart rate increase.

"Come meet me after lunch. Alice will bring you. Don't tell anyone about all this, promise me?"

"I promise." I missed him too.

"See you soon, sweetheart." Then I heard the dial tone. It took a moment for me to calm down and process all that happened.

"Shall we eat? We don't have much time. I have to get you to Edward before his meeting at 2.00 pm."

I ate in a dream-like trance. I couldn't believe what was happening. The pixie was chattering about what I presumed was the latest fashion trends, but I barely heard a word. I was reliving the amazing night I spent with Edward. His naked body… the way he looked at me with blazing green eyes as he claimed me…God… I wanted him again.

"Bella… Bella… it's time. Let's go." The pixie gave me a knowing smile, and I blushed. Just how much had Edward told her? She didn't seem jealous and she seemed to genuinely like me. She led me through several side corridors into the back of the building and pointed towards a storeroom.

"In there. I'll wait for you outside. Be quick." I walked in and stepped into the darkness. Immediately, a pair of hands wrapped around me from behind. I was just about to scream when a velvety soft voice whispered in my ear and his smell engulfed me.

"Bella…finally…" I knew that voice and that touch. I felt myself relax as I struggled to press myself against his lean body. Soft, wet kisses rained on the nape of my neck.

"Bella, oh God! I want you so much." His lips met mine in a passionate kiss as I angled my head toward him. The kiss deepened and I heard him moan, thrusting his tongue deeper into my mouth. I was so lost in the kiss that I was surprised when suddenly I felt cold air hit my breasts. It was then that I realised that he had opened the buttons of my blouse and pulled down my bra cups, exposing my breasts to the cold air inside the storage room. Oh God. What was he doing to me?

"Bella, you look so beautiful." I could see his long fingers stroking my nipples, pulling at them as my eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room. There must be a window somewhere as the room was not in total darkness as I had previously assumed. I pushed back against his hardness. I could feel how aroused he was.

"Look what you do to me, Bella… the CEO of Cullen Enterprises reduced to making out in a storage room." He chuckled derisively.

"And you like it." I couldn't help teasing him just a little bit, grabbing hold of his shaft through his trousers and stroking him. He shuddered.

"Bella…" He gasped, and I felt shivers run down my back as he bit down on the nape of my neck. His right hand disappeared under the hem of my skirt. Oh God he was going to touch me. I spread my legs a bit more while rubbing more earnestly against him.

"Bella, are you wet for me?" I felt his warm touch move closer to my core, and finally he pulled my panties aside and touched my folds. The feeling was incredible. This man knew exactly what to do to drive me insane. Did they have security cameras in this room? He had pulled me skirt up so now all of me was exposed to the cold air in the room. Anyone walking in would see me. The crazy thing was that I really didn't care, as long as Edward continued to do what he was doing with his magical fingers. The possibility of getting caught only heightened my pleasure. I was close. I could feel the tingles rushing towards my core, and with the next stroke over my sensitive bundle, Edward bit my ear lobe and that was it; I fell over the edge. I heard loud whimpering and faintly recognised that the sounds were coming from me. The next moments were a blur to me.

"Bella, I want you. Are you still sore?"

I realised I was sitting on Edward's lap on the floor. He was still very hard. I managed to shake my head no. A glorious smile spread across his lips, and he leaned down to suck one of my nipples and I was lost in this Edward induced madness again.

A/N: A very big thank you goes out to Twimarti for being my beta for this story and her amazing work with this chapter. So what did you think? What is Carlisle up to? I would love to hear from you. Thank you for the lovely reviews you left for the first chapter of this story.


	3. Chapter 3 Surprises

**Chapter 3 - Surprises**

**Edward's POV**

I couldn't believe that I was sitting in a storage room floor cradling my Bella on my lap. My Bella… I liked the sound of that. She was still breathing hard from her release as I rubbed her back and placed small kisses on her face. I wouldn't mind sitting here all day with her like this.

"I want you. Are you still sore?" Soft brown eyes blinked up at me in confusion and then she shook her head no. However, I felt like she was saying that for my benefit therefore, I decided to test the waters, so to speak. I started kissing her again, and then tried softly probing her wet folds a bit. Her slight wince when I went deeper told me the truth.

"Sweetheart, you are sore, aren't you?"

A sheepish looking Bella looked up at me this time.

"Only a little."

I took a harsh intake of breath.

"Bella…" I admonished her.

"I know, I know," she muttered, wringing her hands. I leaned down, resting my cheek against her head. She meant way more to me than a quickie in a storage room. Even making out like this is shameful, especially when I had not even taken her on a proper date yet. She deserved to be wined and dined in the finest restaurant I can find. Treated like a queen. I wanted to show her how much I care about her. She was a beautiful woman, and I wanted everyone to know she was mine. I didn't know how to do any of that with Carlisle monitoring my every move. I sighed in defeat.

"Edward?"

"Mmm…?" I looked down and noticed a look of mischief of Bella's face.

"I think we have a problem." Oh, not another one. Had something happened that I did not know of?

"What?" Suddenly she wiggled her pretty behind on my throbbing erection. I groaned out, helpless to relieve myself.

"Well, there is something poking me, and I think it wants my help." She giggled at the look of disbelief that was surely written all over my face.

"Bella!" I gave her a stern look. My sweet girl was turning out to be quite a vixen with her suggestive comments.

"Edward, I really want to." Her face was now hidden in my shoulder and she was playing with the buttons on the front of my shirt.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" I asked, brushing her hair away so that I can see her now very red face.

"I want to please you too, like you did me." I barely heard the words since they were muffled against my neck.

"You don't have to, Bella." I planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"But I really want to. Can…can you teach me how?" This time, big brown eyes pleaded with me to let her have her way with me. Who was I to deny her?

"Here, touch me." I took her hand in mine and lowered it over my crotch. Her face was again buried in my neck, but her hand closed over me, squeezing.

"Take me…" I whispered, brushing my lips against her ear. I wanted her to undress me. She finally looked down and carefully lowered the zipper, taking me out of my boxers. I couldn't help moaning at the touch of her soft hand over my bare, sensitive skin.

"Like this?" Bella curled her hand over me, rubbing in an up and down motion.

"Yes…a little bit more tightly." I covered her hand with mine, showing her how to do it. This felt so intimate; it was so much better than even making love in the proper sense. I felt such a connection to this girl. I was glad I had the honour of initiating her to physical love. I couldn't even imagine her being touched by another, let alone Carlisle.

We established a steady rhythm, and I leaned down, capturing her swollen lips in another deep, passionate kiss. I was already very high, so it didn't take long for me to reach my peak. I cleaned us up and carefully tucked myself into my trousers. She was suddenly looking a bit unsure when we stood up again, straightening our clothes.

"Umm…" She seemed to be finding it difficult to look at me. I laughed, pulling her against me again and planting a kiss on the tip of her nose when she looked up at me.

"This is crazy…" I shook my head trying to make myself believe what had just transpired between the two of us. Before I could say another word, my phone vibrated. I answered immediately.

"Edward, Carlisle's on his way to Bella's office."

"Shit!"

"I'll try to stall him a bit, but get her there soon."

"Sure, Em." I cut the phone line and pulled Bella in for another passionate kiss.

"Carlisle's on his way to your office. You have to get back."

"Oh." She frowned. I rubbed the back of my hand across her forehead, trying to wipe it away.

"Don't worry, he doesn't know anything. Just act normal."

"Okay." She looked a bit doubtful, but started to adjust her clothing again in a hurry.

"You look fine, sweetheart, just pop into the ladies before you go to your office."

"Why? What's wrong?" She looked apprehensive. I decided to tease her.

"It's just that you looked flushed and beautiful," I said, slightly brushing my thumb over her now swollen lips. She looked even more flustered. I chuckled.

We heard banging on the door and Alice's voice calling out for us to hurry. I couldn't resist planting another chaste kiss on her sweet lips before letting her go. She hurried out, and I listened to their footsteps disappearing along the corridor. I took the back door out and made my way into my office through the car park. We didn't have cameras covering this area. It was then that I realized that anyone could have come into the storeroom through this door while I was with Bella. I decided to ask Emmett to install some cameras here as well as in several other possible meeting points that I could use to meet Bella. Only Emmett and I should have access to them.

Jasper looked up, then pointed to my back. It was then that I noticed I'd only tucked half of my shirt in. I quickly redid it and he smirked at me. I flicked him a birdie, and I rushed into the office. I sat down in my chair and turned on my computer, logging on to the security system. I inserted my ear bud so that the sound couldn't be picked up by the bug in the room. The camera showed Carlisle on the lift leading to Bella's office talking with Emmett. Good-he managed to stall him. I then brought up Bella's office, and she was already seated in her chair going through some files. She looked a bit nervous to me, but I was sure no one else could detect anything unusual. Finally, Carlisle made it to her office.

"Good afternoon, Jessica. Bella, may I have a word with you in private for a minute?" Bella got up and followed him out into the passage way. Jessica gave her an envious look.

"So how are you?" He gave her his most charming smile. You really have no right to smile at her that way.

"Okay sir." She said in a cool tone and I was glad to see that she had regained her control.

"I told you to just call me Carlisle; after all, we've gone on a date." Bella looked agitated but nodded her head slightly. Come on Bella, hold it together, I know you can.

"So when are you free again? I'm sorry I was too busy last night."

"I…um, I'm having a busy week."

"Oh come on, you can make a bit of time for me, darling." Carlisle made a move to take Bella's arm but she moved back slightly, and he decided to pull his hand back. Good girl.

"I've got a lot to do what with some assignments coming up. I'll even have to work during weekends."

Carlisle grimaced. He didn't like being refused.

He stood there looking a bit thoughtful when Bella spoke up again.

"Carlisle, I've got a lot to do. Will you excuse me?" She made a move to pass him, but he grabbed her hand this time. Hands off old man!

"Wait, I need to discuss something very important with you."

"I'm not interested in pursuing a personal relationship at the moment because I really have to focus more on my studies." This time, Bella was very firm. Way to go, girl. I smiled.

"Who said anything about personal business this is work." Carlisle took on a haughty expression and admonished Bella. She blushed looking humiliated.

"I'm sorry, sir, what can I do for you?" she muttered looking down at her hands. A sly, predatory smile spread across Carlisle's face, and I gritted my teeth.

"For starters, let's go to the conference room. After you, dear," He held open the door for her. I smiled in derision; he was always the consummate gentleman.

"Take a seat." He motioned to the seat beside him, naturally. I saw Bella hesitate, but in the end, sat next to him.

"Well, you have done extremely well during the time you have been with us at Cullen Enterprises."

Bella looked up very surprised.

"Thank you, sir." I liked the fact that she was still addressing him as sir and not Carlisle. My girl has spirit; she's not going to follow his orders to the dot like the others. I grinned.

"And as a reward, I have decided to promote you to the position of Edward's personal legal assistant."

Bella's mouth hung open in her surprise, and I was sure I mirrored her expression of shock.

What was he up to? I really needed to think back on our conversation to make sure I let nothing slip that might indicate I was interested in Bella. This could be a set up.

A/N: Thank you very much for the lovely reviews I received for this story. What an amazing response. I never thought this story was going to be liked by so many of you. A very big thank you goes out to Twimarti for being my beta and Dazzleglo for pre-reading this chapter. So what do you think Carlisle is up to?


	4. Chapter 4 The secret meeting

**Chapter 4 - The Secret Meeting**

**Edward's POV**

As I rushed with Jasper to my two o'clock appointment, I couldn't help the feeling that Carlisle was setting Bella and me up. It looked like he somehow found out about us or suspected something. I could think of no other rational reason for the sudden promotion. I was sure Bella was a hard worker, but promotions were usually given after the quarterly reviews. By 4:00 pm I was running out of patience. The meeting was going on, and on and the client, Mr. Franklin, was frankly giving me a headache. Pun intended. I glanced at Jasper. He and I had perfected our skills in non-verbal communication, and with one look, he knew what I wanted.

"Mr. Franklin, we would like to discuss all this with you at length, but Mr. Cullen has another appointment at 4:30 pm, so we really have to cut this short." I pretended to agree with him, and we managed to get out of there after another ten minutes of listening to him.

"Jazz, what do you think is going on?" I couldn't help asking him again once we were safely inside my car.

"I really don't know, Ed. But something sure doesn't smell right." This clearly had Carlisle's signature written all over it. He was known to make sudden calculated moves which leaves his opponents baffled and unable to understand what the change means to them.

"You can say that again. Shall we play hooky and go to your apartment? I really don't want the old man to catch me to inform me about Bella's promotion before we get to the bottom of this."

He shook his head in agreement.

"Shall we change cars?"

I laughed at Jasper's suggestion. It was just like our college days, he was always up to the challenge. It really seemed childish to play this game with our tail for today, Paul. According to Emmett, he wasn't too bright, and we had a good chance of slipping away from him. But then again, I didn't want anyone to know that I'd be going to Jasper's, since I wanted to get Bella to meet me there.

"Sure, let's park mine here and take yours." We exchanged cars at the company parking lot, easily giving the slip to Paul, and then drove off to Jasper's. I was thankful that both our cars had tinted windows. I'll just have to get someone to drive mine to my apartment later on. I was really grateful that I had many loyal employees who were willing to be discreet and do what I want them to without asking too many questions in addition to my friends.

**Bella's POV**

I really didn't know what to think of my sudden promotion. I sent a text to Edward informing him of this. I didn't dare call him during office hours as Edward told me the whole place was bugged. I felt my heart hammer in my chest when I felt the silent vibration of an incoming text.

This is news to me, Bella. He hasn't spoken to me about it. I'll try to find out more. But I wouldn't mind having a beautiful legal assistant. –E

I smiled at his playful tone.

I wouldn't mind working for a hot boss either. –B

I didn't hear from him again. According to Carlisle, I should report to him tomorrow morning. He didn't speak to Jessica about it and told me not to inform anyone of the promotion, since he wanted to keep it low key. Something was not right from the looks of it and that worried me. I sent a quick text to Alice informing her of it as well. She told me not to worry and that she and Edward would find out more.

It was nearly 4:30pm when I received another text.

_Alice will pick you up at 7:00 pm. I'll meet you at her place. Sorry for the short notice. I hope you didn't have other plans. If you do, I'll understand. Just give me a ring when you get home.-E_

I couldn't help the excitement running through my body at the thought of seeing him again. I guess we weren't going to be able to do anything with Alice there, but I still couldn't hold in the big smile that spread across my face.

"Hot date tonight, huh?" Jessica's voice rang out with fake cheer.

"Just meeting a girlfriend." I didn't know why I thought it necessary to inform her that I was going to meet a girl, but I didn't want her thinking that I was going out with Carlisle again.

"Have fun, and don't forget to put everything away before you go," she called out giving me a sly smile as she walked out of the office. Just great, now I'll have to do all the filing and sort everything lying haphazardly on her desk before I leave. For some reason I felt like I couldn't trust her, and my gut told me that I needed to be careful of her.

"I'll help you with it." Immediately after Jessica left, Mike came to my desk right on cue, as always. I swear he was hovering around the corner listening for her to leave. I didn't want to antagonise Mike, and I really did want to get home before 7:00 pm, so I graciously accepted his help. Luckily, he had already heard Jessica's mention of me going out with a girlfriend tonight, so I was spared an invitation from him.

I managed to get home at half past six and did a marathon shower and dress session. I was putting the final touches on my lipstick when the door bell rang.

"Hello, Bella. What a lovely place you have here." Alice looked around while I collected my bag.

"So where do you live?" I asked her after I got into her yellow Porsche. It looked expensive.

"You'll see soon enough." She gave me a mischievous look, which made me even more nervous. She then started talking non-stop about a new pair of shoes she had bought recently. Was she taking me to Edward's? My heart was hammering again when we stopped at an exclusive apartment complex. We rode in silence to the 9th floor. When she opened her door, I realised it was indeed Alice's apartment and not Edward's from all the flowers and other knick-knacks lying around. I was kind of disappointed, but oh well; I might as well make the best of it. Alice was a sweet person and someone I could see being friends with.

"I like your décor, it suits you." She chuckled loudly to this. There were vibrant colours everywhere, and I couldn't help thinking it matched her vivacious personality.

"This way," Alice said grinning as she pulled me into a bedroom crammed with shopping bags. I looked around, trying to find a place to sit, when suddenly a part of the interior wall that held a book case opened up.

What the hell!

Standing on the other side in a beautifully furnished living room, smiling at me, was my personal demigod.

**Edward's POV**

No matter from what angle we discussed it, we were running in circles. The only thing we could come up with was that Carlisle had somehow found out about Bella and me. This could be his way of trying to catch me red-handed. I didn't like it one bit. I had showered and changed using the extra clothing I'd grabbed from my car. Emmett was supposed to join us there. Jasper and I had just poured ourselves some drinks when the secret doorway connecting Jasper's living room with Alice's bedroom finally started sliding open. I stood to face the doorway and couldn't help the smiling at the shocked look on Bella's face.

Jasper and Alice technically lived in separate apartment complexes, but they bought apartments that connected with a common wall in order to build this secret doorway. Using it, they can move from one apartment to the other without anyone knowing. This way, they could live together, sharing two apartments, having two addresses. When the door was fully open, I met the stunned eyes of my brown-eyed beauty. It was obvious that we had some explaining to do.

I couldn't help moving forward and hugging her tightly, kissing her passionately on the lips.

"Cool it, Cullen, there are ladies present," Jasper's cheerful voice rang out. Bella blushed brilliantly when she realised that we had more company.

"Look who's talking," I chuckled, pointing to Alice who was now held tightly in Jasper's arms. Before I could say anything else, Jasper moved forward, extending his hand to Bella.

"Well come to my humble abode. I'm Jasper, Edward's best friend and personal assistant. May I offer you a drink?" Bella looked from me to Jasper, then back at Alice, who was now leaning her head against his chest.

Questioning brown eyes met mine again as I placed another kiss on her forehead.

"Good to see you again, Bella." I gave her a reassuring smile. A reluctant smile spread across her face, lighting up her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Jasper. I know who you are, but I don't think we've been introduced. And I would love to have that drink now, the stronger the better." Bella chuckled.

"As you wish." Jasper raised his eyebrows at me and turned away to his bar. Bella moved away from me and crossed her hands in front of her chest. I couldn't help noticing her breasts being pushed up by her arms.

"You have some explaining to do, mister." Bella poked me on my chest.

I barely heard her as my glance was focused on her twin beauties.

"Edward." I guiltily looked up at her face for getting caught.

"Well, I can explain," I began.

"Shall we sit?" Alice spoke up for the first time since entering the room.

Bella took the drink that Jasper offered and sat down next to me on the large sofa.

"The thing is…" I started again when the pixie interrupted us.

"Jasper and I are dating," her high pitched voice rang out.

"Oh…oh, I see…" I could see the wheels turning in Bella's head as she put two and two together. She finally smiled at Alice then looked at Jasper.

"So the two of you are living together?" She looked from Alice's bedroom to the living room we were in now, which was obviously not a part of her apartment. Jasper's sitting room was furnished all in white which was in stark contrast to the vibrant colours in Alice's bedroom. Alice smiled at her, while bouncing in her chair.

"Bella, we would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself for the time being because of the non-fraternisation policy in place at office." Jasper's voice was calm after Alice's announcement.

"I understand. I suppose you are waiting for Edward to abolish the policy once he has full control?"

"Something like that." A sad, crooked smile spread across Jasper's face. "You see Bella, Edward doesn't want either Alice or me to quit, so the only option available to us is to live in sin till he makes things right."

"I hope that is going to happen soon, Edward. I can't wait to have our dream wedding." Alice as usual reminded me of the urgency by pouting at me.

"Oh, you're engaged. Congratulations! I'm so happy for you." Bella gave them both a big smile. She then turned to me giving me a stern look.

"Edward, you'd better abolish that policy soon. I'm a police chief's daughter, and I really don't like people having to play hide and seek, doing things that are illegal."

I didn't know that. I wondered what Bella's childhood must have been like having a policeman as a dad.

"Well, if the new CEO is also breaking the policy, I don't see why it has to exist anymore." Jasper's laugh rang out.

"Don't forget the former CEO and present company advisor," I reminded him. After appointing me the CEO, Carlisle created a position called "company advisor" and he's supposed to be working in an advisory capacity. I understood his need to still be in control in some way, so I don't have any problem with that. But I guess it's time to actually ask him to define the role of company advisor.

"Now you have more incentive to get rid of that policy, or you'll have to end up buying apartments with shared walls with Bella, so that you can live in sin," Alice chirped making a beautiful blush spread across Bella's face.

"I actually like the living in sin idea." I smiled at Bella, and her blush grew deeper.

Before she could say anything, the doorbell to Jasper's apartment rang and Jasper let in Emmett.

"What took you so long?" Jasper asked the same question I was about to ask.

"Well, you are not going to like this," Emmett said, looking right at me.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your pretty lady first?" Emmett turned to Bella.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Bella, meet Emmett McCarty, head of security at Cullen Enterprises."

"Hello, Bella, it's nice to finally meet you." He offered one of his large hands and shook Bella's enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you too, Emmett. Why are you all here? Is there something wrong?" Bella turned to me with a worried look.

"Bella, we don't know whether something is wrong yet, but we want to figure out why Carlisle decided to promote you so suddenly. Please don't take any offense. I think your work is very good, but it is very unusual for such a sudden promotion to be given. Even Human Resources didn't know about it."

"Edward, I was wondering the same thing. Carlisle even asked me not to tell anyone about it and to report directly to him tomorrow morning. I found that really odd. Don't take this the wrong way- I would love to work with you, but I would really like to be promoted on my own merit and not as a pawn in some game he is playing with you."

"I know, Bella. But right now, I think it's best if we just go along with it. I don't want to make him suspicious by refusing to accept you. Anyway, like I said before, it wouldn't hurt to have a beautiful legal assistant by my side at meetings with potential clients." I really didn't know how I'm going to be able to get any work done with Bella near me. My need to touch and caress her was overwhelming me even now.

"What about me? Am I not beautiful enough?" Jasper's teasing voice cut through.

"To be frank, Mr. Franklin was not that impressed." Jasper laughed out loud at this.

"We have more serious problems than Bella's promotion," Emmett cut in.

"What now?"

"Carlisle just had me hire an assistant for Bella."

"How many assistants does Carlisle think you need, Edward?" The pixie asked.

"Why would I need an assistant?" Bella asked at the same time.

"Actually, she's supposed to monitor your every move and follow you around." Emmett stated.

"Oh shit, not for Bella too." I mouthed a sorry at my girl, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"He suddenly called me to interview candidates and asked that I select someone. That's why I arrived late. He walked in around 5:00 pm with a bunch of candidates and that's first I ever heard about it. The first two looked sharp and wouldn't be easy to get rid of. However, the third was a blondie who was better suited for the runway than a private investigator job. So I quickly hired her." He grinned.

"Good thinking, Em. Let's hope she doesn't give us too much trouble."

"So, Bella, I guess you'll meet her tomorrow. Her name is Rosalie Hale. She's supposed to be your secretary cum assistant so pile her with a load of work. I don't think she'd like to get her nails dirty." He laughed.

"I'll see what I can do, Emmett." Bella smiled at him.

I could tell she really didn't like the idea of having an assistant who was going to spy on her. I sighed. I felt sorry that Bella had to be dragged into all this. Carlisle was also acting a bit out of character. He didn't normally mistrust me this much. During the past couple of years, Carlisle had actually let me handle most of the company business, and he seemed sincere in his efforts to hand over the reins to me.

"I don't know how I'm going to keep my hands off you during office hours, sweetheart, with you working next to me," I whispered into Bella's ear. She blushed again.

"Neither do I," she whispered back. I felt my whole body heating up at the thought of Bella running her hands over my body.

**A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Wow! What a response. I've had some computer trouble so haven't been able to respond to you but will do so as soon as I get a chance. A big thank you goes to Twimarti for being my beta and dazzleglo for pre-reading.**


	5. Chapter 5 The new assistant

**Chapter 5 – The New Assistant**

******A/N: **Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews you left me last week. We've got 100 reviews for this story now with just four chapters. Wow! You are amazing! You have made me so happy! So this one is an extra long chapter for you.

**Edward's POV**

"I bugged Carlisle." Emmett's gruff voice came over the phone line.

"What?"

"Edward, I can't take it anymore. He surprises us at every turn. If we are going to play his game, we should follow his rules, starting with the bugging." I groaned. Sadly he was making sense.

"I don't know Em, I feel bad to spy on him like that." He was my father after all. I know he monitors my every move, but, somehow I felt guilty for doing the same to him.

"I've got all the new security cameras going, I've fixed one in his office as well. If it makes you feel any better, I've not bugged his phone, only his office."

"As if that would make a difference." I grumbled.

"I know you feel like you are doing something wrong Edward, but you have to think of Bella. Do you want him to cook up something that might really hurt her without us knowing? We need to be prepared, be able to make pre-emptive strikes to stop him in his tracks." I sighed in defeat. I could never let anything happen to Bella. I had to protect her. I knew Carlisle was a master manipulator. The only way to avoid any potential harm to Bella would be to know what the old man was up to.

"I know Em, I know. I really can't let him hurt Bella."

"Now turn on the security system. Carlisle is having a meeting with the new girl in his office in five minutes."

"Will do. Thanks Em."

I heard a chuckle at the end of the other line before it got cut off. I couldn't help shaking my head; Emmett sure knew how to get the better of Carlisle. I walked back into my office. I'd gone in to my little sanctuary adjoining my office to take Emmett's call. This room was soundproof and had an attached bathroom. It was equipped with a bed and a closet where I kept some clothes. This is where I slept when I was too busy to go home. Jasper and I often sat in the small seating area inside when we wanted to discuss more confidential matters pertaining to the business.

I motioned Jasper to come over and shut the door to my office as I switched on the security network. Both of us wore the ear buds and logged into the new system that covered the new locations. I immediately had a view of a well dressed women sitting in the waiting area next to Tanya's desk. Tanya was Carlisle's personal assistant who had a thing for me, and needless to say, I really don't like her.

Rosalie Hale sure was a beautiful woman, Emmett was right about that. But the way she held herself exuded confidence. I had a feeling that she wasn't the dumb bombshell Emmett thought her to be. We had gone through her CV and she did have some experience as a private investigator. The employment agency we use to hire people would have only sent us the best candidates for the job.

"You can go in now Miss. Hale." Tanya informed the blond with a huff. It was obvious Tanya had formed an instant dislike to the new girl. It most likely had to do with the fact that Rosalie Hale was much better looking than her.

Once Rosalie Hale walked into the office, Carlisle shut the door behind her.

"Good morning my dear, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen."

"You look lovely my dear. You have great taste in clothing. May I compliment you on your shoes?" Rosalie looked shocked for a moment before giving him a very deliberate flirtatious smile.

"Thank you Mr. Cullen. Now if you are finished admiring my shoes, I suggest we get back to the purpose you hired me for." Her voice was sugary sweet and her smile one of flattery, but her words said something else entirely. I chuckled. It looked like the old man's charm was not going to work on Ms. Hale. Carlisle was no fool, he perfectly understood her rebuke. I could tell he was not very happy with this turn of events.

"I have hired you for a very important job and I trust you are up to the task." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. Emmett had installed two cameras in the room so I had a good view of both Carlisle and Rosalie. I could see that she didn't like Carlisle questioning her skills.

"Of course Sir, you must have gone through my references. I don't think you would have hired me if you didn't think I could do the job." I could tell the old man was taken aback with this answer.

"Well my dear, let me up date you on the details then." Rosalie simply looked at Carlisle impatiently.

"I suspect Ms. Isabella Swan is into industrial espionage. She has ties to our Italian competitors, Volturi Industries. I want you to monitor her movements both in and out of office. Any private dealings she has with third parties should be brought to my attention immediately. I suspect her of having an affair with the son of Mr. Caius Volturi, Mr. Dimitri Volturi." What the hell! I couldn't believe what Carlisle was saying. I turned to Jasper who had a similar incredulous expression on his face.

"Can I have some background information on Ms. Swan?"

"Mr. McCarty will be updating you on that. He will see you shortly and give you more information about our security network. At this point in time, I have not informed Mr. McCarty of my suspicions about Ms. Swan's dealings with the Italians. Therefore, please keep that information confidential. I also want you to report to me directly about anything you uncover regarding Ms. Swan. You can update Mr. McCarty of her movements and other details, but anything pertaining to her relationship with the Volturi's needs to be kept from him. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"And one more thing, you are to inform me of anything unusual happening in Edward Cullen's office." So he really didn't trust me? I felt really hurt by this. How could he have an outsider spying on his own son?

"I understand." To her credit Rosalie did look a bit puzzled by this last request. I guess she had the same thoughts about why Carlisle would want her to spy on his own son.

"Good. That'll be all." He completely ignored her while she got up and left the room. I could tell Ms. Hale did not like this type of treatment. Good. Hopefully, Emmett could persuade her to confide in him instead of Carlisle.

My phone beeped.

_Game on, Cullen. I like her man. She gave the old man quite a shock. – Em_

I showed the message to Jasper and we both laughed. Emmett was smitten with this blond spit-fire.

I saw Carlisle get up and head out of his office telling Tanya that he was coming to see me. I quickly switched off the security network and Jasper and I got back to work.

"Mr. Cullen here to see you." As usual even before Angela, my secretary's intercom message was finished Carlisle burst into my office.

"Good morning dad."

"Edward, I've hired you a new legal assistant." No greetings and no preliminaries. Guess he wants to get down to business. Oh well here goes. Hope I'm a good actor.

"What?"

"You do deals all the time and I have it on good authority that Ms. Jessica Stanley takes ages to get things finalised. I thought if you had someone with you when you go on client visits, you would be able to get the work done more efficiently. Ms. Stanley's work load will also be reduced." I sighed. He did make sense. That was the thing with Carlisle; he never made foolish or outlandish suggestions. He always had a very good business rationale to justify his decisions regardless of their true purpose.

"I don't want a bumbling idiot messing around with my contracts Carlisle."

"Edward, this will make things easier for you. You won't have to have Jasper running after Ms. Stanley to get paperwork finalised."

"Okay, let me look into it. Now who the hell have you hired? We really have to be careful with who we hire because of the highly confidential nature of the documents we have to handle."

"I know, that's why I've decided on an internal transfer. Ms. Bella Swan will be your new legal assistant."

"Do you think she's up to the task? I mean she's just a law student right?" I hoped I sounded disinterested.

"Oh, she's perfect for the job Edward and very trustworthy." Oh really? So you want someone you suspect of industrial espionage to handle all our most confidential documents? It was obvious he didn't suspect Bella of industrial espionage anymore than I did.

"But this is an important job." I didn't want to give in just yet wanting him to justify this some more.

"Bella is extremely capable; she will be a fully fledged lawyer in just a few months. Did you know that she is a brilliant student, and has been in an advance placement class? That is why she will be finishing her degree at such a young age." I hadn't known that. I wondered what else I didn't know about Bella. We really had to spend some time with each other talking.

"So you are trying to patch things up with Bella are you Carlisle?" I was not going to give up the opportunity to see how he would react to the personal implications of this decision.

"Of course, it wouldn't hurt to give her a promotion and a raise would it?" He gave me a catty smile. I chuckled. The old-man knew something was going on between me and Bella or he really was trying to get into Bella's good books and then fire her or something.

"Fine! I'll give it a go, but only on a trial basis, for a month, okay? I'm not agreeing to anything permanent." I pretended to agree very reluctantly.

"All right." Carlisle sighed loudly. I was sure he hadn't expected me to resist this much.

"When will she start work?"

"I'll send her over in about an hour."

"But I'm going to be busy today with the board meeting."

"I already checked with your secretary, I'm sure you are fully prepared as always." Carlisle chuckled at me. I really had to warn Angela not to divulge any information about me to Carlisle.

"Well, then see you later at the board meeting."

"Oh, by the way I hired an assistant for Bella; she'll be here shortly with Bella."

"What the hell do you think this is? A counselling service for your dating mess ups? What did you do to this one?" Carlisle cringed at this outburst. He knew he was at fault here. I knew he would be mentioning Rosalie and was really angry with him for hiring her to spy on Bella and possibly me.

"Edward, I'm sorry about what happened with Bella. But I promise you I only met this new girl Ms. Rosalie Hale just yesterday when I interviewed her."

"Did Bella interview her?"

"No."

"What do you mean no? Isn't she the one who should be hiring an assistant?" I had to fight this a bit otherwise he'd be suspicious.

"Well, she can have Ms. Hale also on a trial basis and if she's not good enough, she can fire her."

"Okay fine, as long as I'm not left to handle anymore hysterical females."

"Sure." I could see the humour in his eyes, and we both laughed out loud. I missed moments like this with him. We used to laugh a lot when he took time off to take me out to baseball games when I was younger. But recent years have only been devoted to the business. We rarely spent any personal time together these days.

"And dad, no more hiring without informing me first all right?" I told him just to make sure this never happened again.

He nodded in agreement.

I heaved a sigh of relief when he finally walked out after going through some of the board papers for this afternoon.

I saw Bella going into Carlisle's office shortly afterwards and he introduced her to Rosalie. I was happy to see my girl acting confidently and informing Rosalie of what she was expected to do. We knew for a fact that Rosalie had no experience working in an office. So we had planned to have some fun at her expense. An hour later Jasper entered my office with Bella and Rosalie. I greeted them and had them go through the document detailing what I expected Bella to do as my legal assistant. I had drafted it yesterday with Bella so that we were on the same page. Bella asked Rosalie to take down notes.

"Well, that'll be all Ms. Hale. You will be sitting next to Ms. Angela Webber in the reception area while Ms. Swan will occupy the table in Mr. Whitlock's office." I wanted to make sure that Rosalie sat separately from Bella so that she couldn't monitor Bella during office hours. Anyone coming to my office had to first come through the reception, and then pass the office occupied by Jasper. There were doors separating Jasper's office from mine and the reception area.

"I think I should sit with Ms. Swan since I'm her assistant." So the blond had sense. I suspected as much.

"I don't care about what you think Ms. Hale. I make the decisions around here and I suggest you do as I say. You will report to Ms. Swan and do the work she assigns you. I would also like to inform you that you will be on probation for the next month." I decided to play the boss card with her.

"But sir, I really…"

"Rosalie, I suggest you do as Mr. Cullen says if you wish to keep your job." Bella cut in before I could say anything more.

"Now I would like a word with Jasper and Bella. You can talk to Angela and get the IT department to install a computer for you." Rosalie was seriously pissing me off.

Thankfully she shut up and walked out the door. I motioned Jasper to close and lock the door, and switched on the security camera so that he could see the reception area where we saw Rosalie now take a seat in the desk assigned to her.

"Let us go through these papers for the board meeting. I want you to read through them carefully Bella." I shuffled some papers and handed some to Jasper. Then got up and came around the table pulling Bella up from her seat.

"Wh…" I covered Bella's mouth with my hand, keeping a finger to my lips asking her not to speak. I gestured to Jasper to keep an eye on things, and dragged a now very surprised Bella through to my office bedroom. Jasper gave me a thumbs up sign smiling at me.

As soon as the door was shut securely I pushed Bella against the door ravishing her mouth. She responded eagerly.

"Bella, mmm… I've missed you." She ran her hands through my hair.

"I missed you too Edward."

"I'm so glad you are going to be here with me now sweetheart, we have our own cosy nest." I gestured towards the bed. A bright red blush coloured Bella's face.

"Mmm…what do you plan on doing to me?" As usual Bella surprised me with her next question.

"I'll show you when the right time comes…" I said lowering my head kissing behind her ear.

"Now's not the right time?" The little minx, I decided to tease her.

I picked her up caveman style and dumped her on top of the bed; then proceeded to kiss her everywhere. I wanted her now. God, I remembered the feeling of being inside of her that first day. We hadn't managed to make love after that. I had promised myself that I was going to take things slow with Bella. Take her on a date first and get to know her more before getting physical again. However, I couldn't seem to control myself.

"I plan on doing a lot of things to you sweetheart." I whispered between kisses.

"Edward, Jasper…he'll hear us."

"No he won't, this room is sound proofed." I couldn't resist getting drawn to her pebbled nipple which I could now clearly see the outline of. I reached down squeezing it placing reverent kisses down her collar bone. I was just about to undo her blouse when a slight knock sounded.

"Give me a second." I opened the door and let Jasper in.

"Edward, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Carlisle moved up the time for the board meeting from 4:00 pm to 3:00 pm."

"Shit."

"So we'd better get ourselves ready."

"Okay."

"Did you ask Bella?" What was he talking about? I was confused.

"Did I ask what?"

Jasper turned to Bella.

"Bella, do you know anyone from Italy?"

"My mother is from Italy. She ran away from home with my father when she was only eighteen. He was working there as a security guard for her family at the time."

"What was her family name?"

"I think it began with a V. Vol something."

"Do you mean Volturi?"

"That's it. Yes." Oh shit! So Bella was related to the Volturi's.

"Have you met them?"

"We never talk about her Italian relatives and they have not contacted her after she left."

"Good."

"Bella, could you let us know if they try to get in touch with you or your mother?"

"What's this about?"

"Carlisle knows about your connection to the Volturi family. I think he hired Rosalie specifically to find out more about your connections with them."

"But I've never even met them or know who they really are."

"I know sweetheart. We have business dealings with Volturi industries, and Carlisle now suspects you of industrial espionage." Bella's face went from deathly pale to red hot with anger.

"Who does he think I am? Oh, this is crazy! Her relatives never cared enough to even find out how mom was doing after she ran away. As far as they're concerned, she's dead to them because my dad was not an acceptable match for her to marry. Why would I ever want to spy on behalf of them?"

"I know, I know. We just wanted you to know about this." Jasper and I exchanged glances. I knew he was going to check on Bella's mother and her relationship to the Volturi. We had to find out more about this connection.

"Well, I'll see you guys in a moment then." Jasper walked out of the room.

I turned to Bella once again kissing her sweet lips.

"Bella, would you like to go on a date with me on Saturday?"

"Sure, what time?" Bella asked with a huge smile on her face.

"How about seven?" I had a good idea where to take Bella on our first date, although I still had some planning to do with Alice. Bella shook her head in agreement and leaned in for another kiss. This time I pulled her flush against my body grinding my hard-on against her softness. Saturday couldn't come fast enough for me.

"I want you Edward." She rubbed eagerly against me.

"I want you too, but we'll have to have lunch and go to the board meeting shortly." Bella's rosy lips formed a pout and I couldn't resist planting a chaste kiss on them. I reluctantly pulled back.

"I wish we had more time alone sweetheart, but we have to be careful. Now that we are working together, we will have plenty of opportunity to be alone." I grinned.

"As long as we get rid of Rosalie," Bella frowned.

"I know." I sighed, opening the door and going back to my office with Bella. We had a lot to figure out and I had a hard-on to will down before the meeting. I had a feeling I would be doing a lot of that in the weeks to come. A pleasurable torture, but it was going to be worth it in the end.

******A/N:** I would love to know what you thought :). Please do leave a review and let me know where you think this story is going. A big thank you goes out to Dazzleglo for pre-reading.


	6. Chapter 6 The best seat in the house!

**Chapter 6 – Best Seat in the House**

**Bella's POV**

Life suddenly felt very unreal to me. I was seated next to Jasper in my new office. I could see Edward through the open shutter to his office and couldn't help staring at him. It looked as if he was deep in concentration staring at a document he held in his hand, while the other hand raked through his copper hair as his brow furrowed because of something he read. I don't know how long I stared at this handsome man who wanted to date me. I couldn't believe it- someone like him wanting plain old me. I was excited and scared all at the same time, if that made any sense.

Suddenly, he looked up and stared right back. For a long moment, deep, emerald green eyes smouldered at me. I felt myself burn right to my core. He licked his lips. I could still feel their soft, moist touch on mine when he had devoured me in his office bedroom. I couldn't help reliving the touch of his hands on me and the way his body pressed against me, burying me into the mattress. I wanted him so much. The first time was still a dream to me. There was so much nervousness and excitement I felt at the time that I never really had the opportunity to savour the moment. I wanted to take things slow and really feel Edward, to get to know him on a level that no one else would.

"Bella…" As if in a dream, I heard my name being called out.

"Um…" The shutter to Edward's office closed, obstructing my view of Edward. I glanced up to see Jasper standing right in front of the shutter with his arms folded across his chest.

"Bella, can you go through this document?" Jasper asked, smirking at me and nodding toward a document he had placed on top of my desk, which I noticed for the first time. Oh! Shit! How long had I been staring at Edward?

The door to Edward's office opened, and he gave Jasper a dirty look. He kept the door open, winking at me, and went back to sit behind his desk.

Jasper shook his head, raising his hands heavenward, and sat back down. I couldn't help laughing at the antics of these two. I tried to muffle it when Edward put a finger to his lips reminding me to be silent. God! It was really going to be very difficult working this closely with these two.

Edward's phone rang shortly after that.

"Yes, Carlisle?" Edward motioned for us to listen and put the call on speakerphone pulling out a sandwich.

"I'm having lunch, Carlisle. What is it?" I realised he used lunch as an excuse in case he asked why he was on speakerphone.

"Why have you put Rosalie with Angela while Bella is in Jasper's office?"

"You want me to put Bella in the outer office too?" He rolled his eyes at the phone.

"I mean, it would make sense to have Bella and her assistant sitting together." I could almost hear in his voice that it was more of an order than a statement.

"So you want three women sitting outside my office? Good Lord, Carlisle, I don't want it to look like a parade of women out there. This is an office; I want to maintain some professionalism."

"Then maybe you should have Bella and Rosalie in your office."

"I want my peace of mind to work, Carlisle. It is important to me." This time, Jasper gave him a look of disbelief, pointing to the open door. I felt myself blush once more.

"Let me get this straight- you don't approve of Rosalie's seating arrangements?"

"You could shift Rosalie to Jasper's."

"Seriously, is this really such an issue that it warranted a man in your position to worry about who sits where? Wait, I have a better idea. Let's shift Rosalie to your office. Problem solved." Edward's hand hit the desk in frustration, and I saw Jasper clutch his chest, trying very hard not to burst into laughter. Edward looked pissed off and was nowhere near laughing.

"I hired Rosalie to make things easier for you, Edward. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." Gift my foot. More like easier for you to spy on us.

"Carlisle, you can have her to make things…ahem…easy for you, as I suggested earlier, she's all yours. I'll fire her right this minute if you bother me again about such nonsense. Jesus Christ! I'm trying to run a company here. You know how difficult it is. Let me concentrate on the business and not where everybody is sitting." He hung up the phone. I could see how agitated he was because he was touching the bridge of his nose.

Jasper gestured to Edward that Carlisle was nuts. I saw him nod his head in agreement. Then he put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. I watched his troubled stance, wishing that I could make it better. Jasper pointed at me and then to Edward's office. It only took me a minute to understand that he wanted me to comfort his friend. I rushed in to Edward's office, closing the door on Jasper, who gave me a knowing glance.

I stood for a moment admiring Edward's long eyelashes. He really was beautiful. But the look on his face was troubled, with his brows raised in a frown. I leaned down, placing a kiss on his pouty lips. Edward suddenly grabbed me, pulling me on top of his lap and kissing me deeply.

"Thank you, I needed that", he whispered in my ear. I smiled at him. Edward started stroking my hair, and I laid my head on his shoulder. I listened to the steady beat of his heart and it was comforting. I don't know how long we sat like that, but a slight knock on Edward's door made me realise where I was. I quickly stood up, straightening my clothes as Jasper walked in.

"Edward, it's time for the board meeting."

As he left with Jasper for the meeting, he gestured to my phone, implying that he will call me later. I smiled at him and blew him a kiss. He looked stunned for a moment before shaking his head, coming around to my desk, and placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

Mmm…I loved working for Edward Cullen.

After they left, I called Rosalie into my office to hand over the paperwork I needed to get typed. I could have done it myself, but I was supposed to give Rosalie the secretarial stuff.

"What do you want me to do, Bella?"

"Please type these in the proper legal format, and I want you to run the final copy by me before e-mailing it to Jasper."

It was obvious she had no idea about any of the formats and templates I used, so I gave her a short lesson on how to use them. Then I handed over the paperwork. Edward had deliberately got extra documents for Rosalie to type. We were hoping she would hate the job and quit.

I was preparing to leave office at 6:00 pm when I received a text from Alice to stay behind and that Edward wanted to speak to us.

"Shall we go for drinks, Bella? I would love to get to know you better." Rosalie came to me out of nowhere and very sweetly asked me out.

"I'm a bit busy, Rosalie. I'll be staying behind until Mr. Cullen gets back from the board meeting."

"Oh, in that case, I'll wait with you. I can help you with anything he needs done."

Rosalie Hale was seriously pissing me off.

"No need, Rosalie. I've got things under control. I don't want to keep you from going home."

"I've no one to go back to at home, Bella. I really would like to spend more time with you learning more about the company." The woman sounded so sincere it was frightening.

How on earth was I going to get rid of her?

"Then you'd better start on the documents that I gave you now. I want it typed and ready by tomorrow afternoon." What do you do with an employee who refuses to go home? I sighed. I informed Alice of my predicament.

A little while later, Rosalie came back into my office.

"I got a call from Human Resources asking me to come up to go through my employment contract. I'm sorry to leave you with all this work, Bella. If you don't want me to go, I can tell them to give me another time."

"Don't worry, you can do it tomorrow. There is no hurry. Like I told you, I only want it back by tomorrow afternoon, so you can go home after you finish with them."

Rosalie was not happy with this turn of events, but she muttered a "have a good day" to me and left for Human Resources. I hoped Alice or whoever was handling her paperwork would keep her busy until I finished talking to Edward.

**Edward's POV**

This was the second time I was conducting the weekly board meeting. It was interesting to watch Carlisle listen attentively, and I was almost sure he approved of my work. I felt happy for once. I had always wanted to be the perfect son-the one he could entrust his company with-and it meant a lot to me to have him think I could handle the task. It was only at the end of the meeting when I asked everyone whether they had anything to add that he surprised me.

"I think we should abolish the non-fraternisation policy, Edward." What the hell? I couldn't help looking at Jasper who looked as shocked as I felt.

"I agree with Carlisle. I don't see it serving any purpose with a company this large. We have lost many good people who left the company when they started a relationship with another working here, so I am all for scrapping it", Mr. Banner, the head of Human Resources, chimed in.

"We should no longer be saddled with policies that bring nothing but trouble." Jessica Stanley added her two cents, giving me a coy look. It was obvious she was finally hoping to have her chance of getting her claws in me. I had to hold back a shiver at that thought. Not on your life Jessica, I silently warned her while pretending to have not seen her look.

"What do you say, Edward? Let's scrap it."

"If you all think it's for the best, I have no problem with it." I was happy about it, thinking of Jasper and Alice, but something didn't feel right. I was sure Carlisle had some other underhanded motive for doing this. Was he trying to trap me into admitting my relationship with Bella?

I decided to take the bull by the horns and ask Carlisle why he made this sudden decision. When we exited the boardroom, I walked up to him.

"Dad, what brought about this sudden change of heart? You were the one who insisted on the policy."

"Well, I think it's outdated. Things change and we must change along with them."

"Is this about Bella? Do you still want to date her?" I felt Jasper poking me from behind, trying to remind me to be careful with what I say, but I just couldn't let this go. I was one hundred percent sure he had an ulterior motive.

"No…of course not, Edward."

"Then are you scared that she'll sue you over the policy because you broke it to take her out on a date?" I was puzzled to see the look of surprise that crossed Carlisle's face.

"Yes, that's exactly why I did it. You can't be too careful with a girl like Bella." He gave me a sly look, and I was sure he just agreed with me to hide his real reason for the decision. I sighed. Another poke from Jasper reminded me that I was walking on dangerous ground and that I had to stop before I blurted out something that shouldn't be said in front of Carlisle.

"Well, then let's hope Bella doesn't sue you. See you tomorrow dad."

"See you son." Carlisle tapped my back and turned to go to his office, and I walked off with Jasper.

"Good Lord Ed, what in the name of heaven is your father up to now?"

"As if I would know," I smiled in derision.

Jasper and I walked back to our office in silence contemplating what he could possibly be up to. I caught Jasper glancing at me from time to time. I knew he was hoping I'd have a clue as to what was going on.

I was now seriously seeing the value of Emmett's plan to bug Carlisle as he always played his cards close to his chest. I just hoped my own father was not out to hurt me or Bella. He was all I had left in this world. My only family; I didn't want to lose him over something like this; whatever it was.

**A/N:** _Once again I was amazed at the number of reviews I got for this story! Wow! Thank you so much! It always means a lot to me to know what you think of the story and where it is going. _

_Thank you Twimarti for being beta for this chapter and Dazzleglo thanks for adding your dazzling touch lol! _


	7. Chapter 7 Misconceptions

**Chapter 7 **

**Misconceptions **

**Bella's POV**

"You'd better get out of there fast. Your assistant is on her way back. Come to my place. Edward will meet you there." Alice's voice rang through my phone. Oh shit! Rosalie was really getting on my nerves now. I quickly packed up my belongings and rushed out to the car park. Just as I got into the car, I heard Rosalie call out to me. I pretended that I didn't hear her and drove away as fast as I could. Hopefully, she won't have enough time to follow me out.

When I reached Alice's, she hadn't even arrived yet. I waited outside her apartment door, and within ten minutes, Alice came rushing out of the elevator.

"I'm sorry, Bella; I got here as fast as I could. My God! That Rosalie is something else. I tried to stall her, but she kept going through the documents so fast as if demons from hell were after her. I didn't want to look obvious, so I had to let her finish it at her pace. She really is taking this job seriously." I walked into the now familiar apartment after Alice.

"Oh, and Bella, I have more news. Carlisle abolished the non-fraternisation policy during the board meeting today." She was grinning from ear-to-ear as she said this.

"What?" was my surprised response. Then, I realised how important this was for Alice and congratulated her. She could now finally marry Jasper.

Alice made some coffee for us and we sat at the kitchen island relaxing with it. Her phone beeped shortly afterwards, and Alice pulled me along to the room with the bookcase. I still couldn't stop staring in awe as it moved, revealing Edward and Jasper. Edward stepped over and pulled me into his arms as Alice crossed over into Jasper's living room and gave him a peck on his lips.

"I guess you two would like to have some privacy. Please feel free to use my guest room." Alice smirked at us as she disappeared around a corner with Jasper. I felt myself blushing.

"Mmm…so do you want to see Alice's guest room, sweetheart?"

I nodded while burying my face in Edward's chest as he chuckled out loud.

We soon found ourselves in a room decorated in purple and yellow. I didn't have time to look around as Edward pushed me against a wall and started kissing me passionately, while pressing his hard-on against me right where I needed it.

"Bella, oh, you look so sexy in this outfit. It was so difficult to keep my hands off you all day." He fiddled with the top-most button on my blouse, undoing it. I reached up, grabbing his hair and pulling his lips back to me. I felt Edward's hands skimming over my bra as he undid the rest of the buttons. He suddenly lifted me up and carried me over to the bed, laying me down on it. He got in after me and started nibbling on my ear pressing soft kisses on my jaw line from time-to-time. I was getting impatient. I crashed my lips against his again while trying to unfasten his shirt. I felt Edward's fingers brush against my left nipple over the bra, and then he lean down, sucking it through the lace. The wetness seeped through, and I felt myself shiver as the cold air blew across my now-peaked nipple.

"I want you…I want you so much, Bella…" Edward's hand ran up my thigh, lightly grazing over my covered mound.

"Want you too, Edward…" I wanted him naked right now. I had still not managed to see him properly and this was my chance. It was sheer torture having to watch this copper haired, green-eyed, Adonis all day, and not being able to touch him. Especially, when I knew that he wanted me too. I reached down boldly palming him through his pants. He moaned out loud, biting on my earlobe. I fumbled with the button, but finally managed to undo it and dip my hand into his boxers. I was still too shy to pull him out, but I carefully curled my hand around him. He was all red-hot, hard velvet. And all mine. I couldn't help grinning.

"What?" I shook my head shyly burying my face in his chest. There was no way I was going to tell him what I was thinking.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but just then, we heard the sound of a door bell ringing. I groaned. I was about ready to shoot anyone who dared to cock-block us this time.

"Just ignore it… Alice will get it." Edward continued to kiss me, but I couldn't help listening to Alice's voice ring out and then a voice that I recognised. _Are you kidding me? _

"Shit, Edward! Rosalie is here."

Edward quickly got up and fastened his trousers. I reluctantly followed him off the bed. We both tiptoed to the door and listened.

"Bella's car is outside… I know she is here. I need to speak with her urgently," Rose said in a demanding voice.

"I…er…she's busy." I decided I had to rescue Alice. It's not as if Rosalie would know Edward was here. I gestured to Edward to get back to Jasper's and opened the door stepping out into the living room.

Rosalie gasped in surprise when she saw me. It was then that I realised that my blouse was open, and it was very obvious that I had been making out with someone.

"Bella…I, er…" Then Rosalie's eyes turned to Alice, and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my lips as I noticed her state of undress. She was wearing a robe that hung loose over her form, and she seemed to be naked underneath. It was obvious she was interrupted during a make-out session as well.

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry. I didn't realise that you two were…oh, dear God. I didn't know you were… lovers." Rosalie's flustered voice rang out. Alice's shocked glance met mine, and then in a heartbeat, an unholy gleam lit up the pixie's face. And suddenly, I knew exactly what to say.

"Yes, we're together. And I don't see why that is any of your business." Alice's tiny hand circled my waist, pulling me closer to her as I blurted out what I knew to be the biggest lie I was ever going to say. However, the look on Rosalie's face was well worth it.

"Oh…I'm really sorry for disturbing your evening. I just…I just thought maybe you would like some help with any documents you received after the board meeting." She was now blushing in embarrassment. This really was fun.

"Well, I don't need any help right now. As you can see, I have more important matters to attend to." I leaned down and pretended to nibble on Alice's ear, whispering _'This is fun'_ to her. To my surprise, the pixie planted a kiss on my jaw. I blushed in embarrassment. Shit! Hope Alice is not a closet lesbian!

"I er…will be on my way, then. Oh! By the way, I won't tell anyone about this. I know it is not allowed because of the non-fraternisation policy in place, but you can't help who you are attracted to, I guess." She sighed in defeat.

Wait a minute… was she interested in me? Was that why she asked me out for drinks? Things were getting pretty weird really fast. I sincerely hoped that Edward was not listening to this conversation, but I doubted it since they had the whole office bugged. What were the chances that the living room was not bugged?

"Oh, the policy was abolished during this afternoon's board meeting. That's why Bella and I are finally together. We didn't dare start an affair before because it went against the company policy. But now that nothing is holding us back, we've decided to pursue a relationship."

"You are very lucky to have her, Alice. And both of you are lucky to have found true love. I learned the hard way that nothing really is what it seems, and you can't really trust anyone." A pained look came over Rosalie's beautiful face.

She didn't realise how true her words about nothing really was what it appeared to be. And she was right about both Alice and me finding true love. Wait! Shit! Did I love Edward? I didn't think so. I did care about him a lot. Now's not the time to think of it. I once again focused on Rosalie.

"You are right about that, Rosalie."

"Well, I should be going. See you tomorrow."

"Wait a minute. How did you know to find me at Alice's?"

Rosalie blanched at this question.

"I er…followed you from the office."

"Why didn't you come in right away, then?" Oh, God did she see Edward driving in with Jasper to the apartment complex next door?

"I saw you go up but didn't know which floor you went to. I was just about to go when Alice showed up. I followed her and saw you two enter through here. I waited for you to come out, but since you didn't, I decided to ring the bell. I know it's crazy, but I really thought you needed help, the way you ran out of the office in such a hurry. If not for an office matter, I thought you might be having an emergency and could do with another pair of hands." She really did sound sincere once again. Good Lord, she was such a good liar and actress.

"Well, thank you for your concern, but I really would like to keep my work and personal lives separate whenever I can. Alice is going to be my only exception." Once again, I met the pixie's eyes, and they gave me a puppy dog look. I almost burst out laughing.

"Have a nice evening. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Rosalie abruptly left. Alice closed the door, and we watched through the peephole until Rosalie disappeared through the elevator door.

Once she was gone, we leaned against the door and burst out laughing. Edward must have heard the door since he and Jasper came into the living room while we were still laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"We are…we are going out together," Alice blurted out.

"At least Rosalie thinks we are making love…"I added, barely having enough breath to say the words.

"What? Why did you tell Rosalie that we are… I mean, we are together? She's sure to tell Carlisle."

"Not you and me, Edward, me and Alice." At this, the pixie burst into another set of giggles, setting me off once again.

"You and Alice?" Edward raised his eyebrows while Jasper looked from me to Alice and shook his head, trying to solve this puzzle.

"Yes. Rosalie thinks we are in love and dating."

"Jesus Christ! We leave you two for a few minutes, and this is what you do. Bella, how could you steal my fiancée? And just as that stupid policy got abolished?" Jasper joined in the laughter.

"Wait…wait…wait! All of you! Let me get this straight. You two told Rosalie that you are lovers?"

"Uh huh," I nodded my head.

"As in lesbians?" This time, a tiny crooked smile graced Edward's face.

"Yes. And God, she believed it. Seeing the way we are dressed, anyone would have believed it," Alice said out loud, then quickly held the lapels of her bathrobe tightly together, realising the state of undress she was in. And for the first time since Rosalie left, I realised my blouse was open. I quickly held it closed. Edward smirked at me when he saw what I did.

"Wow! This is hot, Edward. Imagine two girls? It's every guy's dream." Jasper nudged Edward with his elbow and Edward burst out laughing.

"Jazz, shut up!" Alice admonished.

Edward's phone ringing finally made us all stop laughing.

Emmett's voice came over the speaker phone when Edward answered.

"The she-devil is parked outside Alice's place."

"Tell me something we don't know," he muttered.

"Oh…you know. Well, you'd better be careful when you leave, Ed. I hope she didn't see you."

Edward groaned.

"Well, she saw enough for one evening."

"What do you mean?"

"She saw Bella and Alice make out for starters."

"What? Wow… hot! When did this happen? Are you okay with it, man?"

"Emmett! She thought she caught them after a make-out session, not them actually making out." Edward was now running his hand through his hair in frustration while Jasper was still laughing his head off.

"Oh, and Emmett, I think she's got a crush on me." I decided this would bring about another bout of laughter and shock Edward a bit more.

"She… what?" As I expected, all eyes turned to me, and Edward looked ready to wring Rosalie's neck.

"She asked me out to drinks, and then she followed me here. And, well, she told Alice that she was lucky to have me as her lover. Guess she really likes me." I batted my eye lashes for effect, and this time, only Emmett and Alice laughed.

"This is serious, Bella. What if she really does have a crush on you?" Edward looked worried.

"She could start to really stalk you." Jasper also looked concerned.

"Be serious. She's only following me around because that's her job. I don't think she's really interested."

"We just can't take the chance. All this is your fault, McCarty, you decided to hire the blonde," Edward bellowed into the phone. I couldn't tell whether he was really angry or just pulling Emmett's leg.

"She really is hot, Ed, you can't dispute that."

"Yes, she's really hot," I agreed, deciding to try to make the mood lighter.

"So you think she's hotter than me?" Edward turned to me. I knew he was joking because of the gleam in his eye.

"Well, she is beautiful and she has boobs, but I don't really care that much for boobs as I do for er…certain other parts she doesn't have. So I'll just stick with you."

"You've got a gem of a woman there, Ed. Hold onto her."

"Well, I'd like to keep her, so I suggest you keep the blond occupied Em."

"How am I supposed to do that? She's a real spit-fire. I asked her whether she has a boyfriend, and she nearly bit my head off."

"Er…Em, I think it's a sore topic for her, I mean her past lovers. I got it from something she said today about it being difficult to trust people and that things are not what they seem."

"Oh?"

"Yes, so maybe you'd do better if you try to first be her friend or something."

"Well, all right. She really is hot. I guess I could do this one favour for you, Ed." I had to laugh, favour my foot, he was going to enjoy it, but made it sound like a big imposition.

"Anything new on the Carlisle front?"

"Nothing, except for the policy bomb for which you were present." Edward sighed.

"I still can't imagine what he expects to gain by that."

"Sorry, man, I can't think of anything either," Emmett said from the other end.

"Well, I for one, am happy that the policy is gone. I can finally marry my woman." Jasper pulled Alice to his side, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Not so fast. She's my woman now," I blurted out, and everyone started laughing once again.

"I guess we'd just have to play the waiting game again and see what happens next. Rosalie is sure to report back to Carlisle about the new developments."

"You are right. Let's call it a night, then."

I had to leave shortly after that since I'd promised Mrs. Webber next door that I'd come to dinner with her. I couldn't wait for Saturday, until I could get my hands on Edward again for an extended period of time. We will have to think of a way to get rid of my stalker for the evening. I sighed. Why does a simple date have to be so complicated?

**A/N:** _So what do you think will happen next? Will Emmett be able to distract Rose? She really is turning out to be a good spy. Bella managed to out manure her this time, but what will happen the next time she catches them unawares? Thank you so much for the lovely reviews I received. I'm going on holiday for the weekend so I'm posting this chapter a little earlier than usual. I didn't want to keep you waiting for an update till I got back. From next week on I'll update as usual on Fridays. _

_Thank you Twimarti and Dazzleglo for getting this chapter back to me so quickly, enabling me to post it before I go. _


	8. Chapter 8 The deception

**Chapter 8**

**The Deception**

**Emmett's POV**

This was going to be tricky. For the first time in my life, I was actually scared to approach a woman…_no not scared, just hesitant_, I corrected myself. I was ashamed to admit as much. There was something about this particular woman that had me on edge. Rosalie Hale was the goddess of beauty and the devil incarnate all rolled into one beautiful package. Who wouldn't be scared to approach her? Or deceive her? Well, except for Bella Swan. I had to smile at the thought of what Rosalie was likely thinking about Bella now. Edward sure knew how to pick his women, or rather—woman. I was really glad that he'd finally felt comfortable enough to have a relationship with someone. He was like a little brother to me, and I wanted him to be happy. He hadn't known the love of a family, and it was time that someone taught that boy how to love. Love someone besides that selfish bastard he calls father.

I tapped lightly on the window of her car, and beautiful blue eyes looked at me in surprise.

"What can I do for you, Mr. McCarty?" she asked with raised eyebrows, rolling down her window.

"I was wondering whether you'd like to grab a bite to eat. I saw you follow Swan and used the GPS to track you since she failed to show up at her apartment. Guess she's having a day out, huh?" I chuckled, but it was a half-hearted attempt.

"Tell me about it." To my surprise, Rosalie sounded defeated and somewhat exhausted. For once, I felt I could relate to her frustration.

"I thought as much. I took the liberty of grabbing two sandwiches so that you can have them while waiting for her."

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you." I could tell Rosalie was surprised and thankful. That pleased me for some reason.

"Mind if I join you? I've nothing better to do. Cullen just went home, and I know like clockwork what's he'll be doing till morning. No point following him around."

"Are you sure? He might decide to go out or something." She looked concerned.

"Are you crazy? We are talking about Edward Cullen. The man never goes out, except for those business functions that he has to make an appearance. He practically lives and breathes work, trying to please Cullen Senior." That was Edward's life in a nut-shell. Well, that was before he met Bella. I barely managed to suppress a grin. Now his life was like a detective story with sneaking and spying and industrial espionage thrown in for good measure. God! Edward never did anything half way.

"You think he's doing all that work trying to please his father?" Rosalie looked thoughtful.

"Of course."

"I think that's not the only reason. If you ask me, I feel he's a workaholic just like his father."

"I guess so." She unwrapped her sandwich and started to eat, and I joined her. We ate in silence for a while until we saw Bella walk to the parking lot.

"I've got to go after her. See you later, McCarty."

"Would you mind if I tag along? I still haven't finished my sandwich." I knew it was a lame excuse, and the smile that tugged at Rosalie's full lips let me know that she knew it as well. But her answer was to just pull out of the parking lot, following Bella. I decided I'd have to ask my questions now before she dismissed me.

It was Edward's idea that I talk to Rosalie and stay with her while she followed Bella out to her friend's. He had wanted to give her false information about his whereabouts. He also wanted to know what Rosalie was thinking about the new information about Bella's relationship with Alice. He was worried that she might be interested in Bella. I thought that was a ridiculous idea, but a more detailed background check I'd run at his insistence revealed that Rosalie had had a female roommate while in college, and they had been seen kissing in public. That shit was hot. Wow. Okay, I need to tamp down that line of thought and focus on the job at hand.

"So where was Swan this evening, visiting Ms. Brandon again?"

"So you know about Alice?" Rosalie gave me a calculating look.

"I've seen Swan having lunch with Alice." Their friendship was not a secret, and I would know where Alice lived because of my position.

"I mean, do you know that they are together?"

"What do you mean together? I know they are good friends." I frowned as if in confusion. Hope my acting skills are in par with Bella's.

"I guess I'd have to tell you what I found out, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."

"Sure. What's so secretive about their friendship?"

"They are now sleeping together." Rosalie gave me a lustful, all-knowing half smile. I gulped and swallowed the bite I had in my mouth the wrong way. Holy shit! This woman was hot. I would give anything to have her look at me like that again. Wow! Just wow!

Rosalie chuckled at my discomfort.

"Here, have a drink of water." She offered her flask to me. I drank some and finally managed to control my coughing fit.

"That threw you for a six, didn't it?" She chuckled.

"What?" Did she really know how much she had affected me with her sexy smile?

"The fact they are sleeping together?" Oh! She thought that was the reason for my mishap. Guess I could act after all; I had played the pumpkin carriage in our school play "Cinderella." My grandma always said, "That boy couldn't act even if his life depended on it." Guess what, Grandma…I deceived Rosalie Hale.

"Yes...yes, of course. I didn't know that."

"Today would be the first day." Now she had a dreamy smile on her lips. Oh, God! Was Edward right? Did she have a preference for women? According to her profile, Rosalie was married and divorced. I must add that it was to a male, so I had thought she was straight.

"Really…? How do you know that?" I pretended to be very interested.

"I walked in on them."

"Wow! That must have been hot!" To my surprise, she mock-punched me.

"Trust a man to think like that. I didn't see them do it—I just managed to interrupt them when I rang the doorbell."

"So it was the first time?"

"Yes. Bella told me that the company had abolished the non-fraternisation policy today, and they decided to start a relationship."

"That's great. So does that mean you will go out with me now?" She stared at me in shock, and I'm sure my face reflected the exact same expression. I didn't know that I was going to ask her out! For God's sake, the woman intimidated me.

"Emmett McCarty…are you coming on to me?" her voice rang out in disbelief.

"I er…it looks that way, I guess." I scratched my head. This was all Edward's fault for giving me ideas and asking me to try and keep her occupied. Then I remembered Bella's warning about being her friend first. Oh shit! I'm messing up pretty bad.

"I mean, I really would like to be friends with you. I mean, I would like to have a friendly coffee or a friendly lunch with you, only as friends, nothing else," I clarified, horrified that she would say no.

She gave me a puzzled look. Then, a look of understanding crossed her face.

"Of course." She gave me a half smile.

"I really do like you. I mean…like a friend." Oh shit! _Emmett, just shut up! What's with the verbal diarrhea?_ I'd never been out of my element with a woman like this before, I was always so smooth.

"The funny thing is, I do like you, Emmett McCarty. And yes, I would like to join you for a cup of coffee or a sandwich now and then. Of course, as a friend." She laughed at her own joke, but I couldn't help staring at her in amazement. When she smiled, she was beautiful, but when she laughed…she was something else. It was as if her whole face glowed. It was nice to see Rosalie Hale genuinely relaxed and happy like this. It only showed how very tense and foreboding she always seemed to look and that deep down there was a lot more to her than the hard exterior she portrayed.

**Edward's POV**

"We have a problem, Em. It looks like Rosalie is not going to tell Carlisle about Bella and Alice."

"I guess she meant it when she told me not to tell anyone about their relationship."

I watched through the monitor in my office bedroom as Rosalie giggled with Bella yet again, making my girl blush. Rosalie Hale, giggling? I never thought I'd see the day.

"We've got to tell Carlisle about it, otherwise we wouldn't know what Carlisle expected would happen with the policy change."

"I guess you are right."

"Can you tell him, Em?"

"You do realise that the giggling girl outside will turn into a she-devil the moment she realises that I was the one who told him, right?"

"Yes I do. But we really don't have a choice." I felt bad for him since I knew he'd have to take the brunt of the Hale storm if we got him to do it. _Wonder whether there was another way? _If there was, Bella was sure to be the one to figure it out. I grinned at how clever my girl was turning out to be.

"I know."

"Let me talk to Bella about it first. I'll call you back. She might have a better idea about what Rosalie is up to."

I got Jasper to call Bella into my room, then dragged her off to the bedroom, shutting the door on a very disapproving assistant. But the half smile that tugged at Jasper's lips told another story.

What I didn't expect was for Bella to push me with such force that I ended up landing on the bed on my back with her on top of me.

"Bella…"

"Shh… no interruptions, I want you now."

"Bella…sweetheart, I want you too. It's just that we don't have the time right now. I've got a meeting in fifteen minutes, which, by the way, you are supposed to attend with me." Her lips formed a pout.

"How can you be so in control?" I laughed. I took hold of her hand and placed it on top of my hard length.

"Do you call this in control?" She blushed a beautiful red, shaking her head.

"I want you so damn much, Bella. But we really have to be careful, and we don't have the time, for something right now. When I take you the next time I want to take it slow…enjoy your delectable body…explore every inch of it."

She moaned out loud and leaned down, kissing me hungrily. The next few minutes were a blur to me, and only the feeling of warm wetness rubbing against me alerted me to the fact that Bella had somehow managed to remove at least part of our clothing. I looked down between kisses and noticed that she was straddling my pelvis. My zipper was undone, and my naked length was stroked by Bella's hot, wet flesh. She was wearing a loose skirt today, and it covered both of our nakedness. I loved skirts.

"Bella…God, Bella…"

"I'm close, Edward…Oh, God I want this so much. Please…please…" I knew what she was asking; she wanted me inside her, but I just couldn't do it right now. Not like this. I had to make sure she was ready for me. It pained me when I thought about the way I'd taken her the first time. She's still new to this, and I remembered how tight she was. I was sure she had had to do some painful stretching to accommodate my girth. I had to relax her to enable her to do that. A hurried quickie coupling is the last thing she needed.

"Bella, love, I don't have protection with me right now, and like I told you, I want to take my time when I'm inside you next. So, let's just do it this way for now, okay?" She bit her bottom lip but nodded her head yes. I could see tears well up in her eyes. Shit! I'd said the wrong thing.

"Love, I just don't want to hurt you. You need to be relaxed for me to enter you. Last time must have hurt a lot because it was the first time, but we were still both very prepared. Right now, we are in too much of a hurry with a lot of tension to be able to do it right, do you understand, sweetheart?" I lovingly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. This time, a look of understanding crossed her face.

"I just…I just can't bear the thought of ever hurting you again like that, love…you have to understand."

"I know, Edward…" This time, a genuine smile graced her pink lips. I leaned up, kissing her passionately and rocking myself against her core more fully. Bella moved against me much faster than before, bringing us both to the brink of orgasm. I reached under her skirt to lightly touch that sensitive spot, and she moaned out loud. I reached with my other arm, pulling Bella's blouse down after undoing the little bow that held it closed. I was greeted by the sight of a delicate, white lace bra. I pulled down the cups to expose her rosy nipples, leaning up to squeeze one, while I couldn't resist sucking on the other. Bella screamed out in pleasure as she bucked against me, and I followed suit. We were just coming down from our high when I faintly heard the knock on the room door before it flew open.

"Jesus Christ! Sorry, man. I didn't think. I knocked…" Emmett quickly ran out, shutting the door behind him. What was Emmett doing here? Where's Jasper?

I quickly looked around for some tissues and realised that Bella had already found them and was now wiping us clean.

"Sorry, love, I…guess we didn't lock the door." Bella giggled.

"No, it's my fault— I'm the one who attacked you."

"Well, I like being attacked by you." Right on cue, she blushed.

"Hope Emmett didn't see anything." Bella carefully adjusted her clothing, checking her appearance in the mirror in the ensuite.

"I don't think so. Your skirt was covering us, and you were turned away from the door."

As we walked out of the door, Emmett was running around the office, holding his head.

"I need bleach! Someone give me some bleach! I'm going to need therapy!"

"I told you not to go in there." Jazz was laughing at Emmett, who was red. Oh! He was blushing! What…? I never thought anything could make him blush. It looked like he really was embarrassed.

"Enough with the dramatics, Em. What are you doing here? And…" I pointed to the listening device.

"I disabled it. Wanted to talk to you guys about what we are going to do with Bella's other relationship." He looked meaningfully at me. I chuckled.

"Like I said before, you could tell Carlisle." I pointed out.

"No, no way, man! I can't have that she-devil after me." He looked genuinely scared.

"Stop calling my friend a she-devil."

"So now she's your friend, huh?" I was surprised because Bella defended Rosalie.

"She really seemed genuinely happy for me. And she couldn't help cracking jokes all morning. I'm beginning to like her and feel awful about having to deceive her like this."

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"Well, I have an idea…how about Carlisle catching us making out in a hallway?" My girl was a genius.

"That's a great idea, Bella. It will get me off the hook." Emmett was grinning like an idiot.

"It's nearly lunch time… let's do it. I'll call Alice. Which hallway would be the best?"

"How about Emmett calling Carlisle to give him an update and walking with him back to his office? It could be a hallway they will have to pass on the way back. That way we could make sure he sees them," I added.

"I'll tell Alice the exact one. You go find her. I'll go and give Carlisle that call now."

A beaming Emmett walked out of my office and we all gathered around, watching as he smiled at Rosalie, who winked at him. The poor fellow didn't know what hit him and would have continued to be rooted to the spot, if not for Angela who asked him whether he needed help with something. To our great amusement, he blushed and rushed off, leaving a giggling Rosalie behind. It looked like Rosalie and Emmett were getting on very well indeed.

_**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I got for the last chapter. Glad you all had a good laugh:) As always a big thank you goes off to Twimarti and Dazzleglo! Please do review and help Edward shoot that staple-lie at Carlisle! Lol! So what do you think of Emmett's and Rosalie's little chit-chat? **_

_**I've donated a chapter on Edward's wedding present to Bella for the 'Stories for Animals' cause from my story "Preparing for the wedding". You can find the details in their website: storiesforanimals dot blogspot dot sg / . **_


	9. Chapter 9 The show

**Chapter 9 **

**The Show**

**Bella's POV**

"Ring…ring…ring…"

The ringing of the telephone on my desk brought me out of my Edward-induced trance. I didn't know how long Edward and I had been staring at each other. I saw him smirk at me through his office doorway before going to pick up his phone. Jasper rolled his eyes as he picked up his. We really did have it bad. It was a miracle that we even got any work done.

Emmett's gruff voice came over the phone.

"Hello everyone—this is a conference call." I quickly looked around and realised that Jasper and Edward were also listening.

"So what's the status?" Jasper asked.

"May I warn you that Tweety Bird is also on-line."

"For the last time, I am not Tweety Bird. I do not resemble a small yellow thing. Please do not call me that god awful name," Alice's shrill annoyed voice rang out to the phone. Jasper chuckled at this and I could hear her huff from the other end.

"I'm warning you, Jizzy boy, I will not protest when he calls you that the next time."

Jasper's smile vanished.

"He wouldn't dare. Would you, Emmy bear?" Jasper said in a sickly saccharine voice.

"Oh, I would, Jizzy boy," replied Emmett's gleeful voice.

It was Edward's turn to chuckle, shaking his head and gesturing to me that they were all nuts. It sure looked that way, but I was enjoying myself. Emmett really was a nice guy. I would have never thought him to be a person with a sense of humour, especially when you take in his appearance. He resembled a thug or a mobster at first glance with his huge physique which is quite intimidating.

"Back to the task at hand, team." I wondered what Edward's nickname was.

"Listen very carefully…I shall say this only once." At this, Edward rolled his eyes.

"Get on with it, you idiot! I know you like Allo, Allo, but this is ridiculous."

Oh! That's where I'd heard it. I couldn't help laughing out loud. Emmett sure was into theatrics. Jasper shushed me from his desk with a finger on his lips. It was even funnier to see him do that, and I barely managed to cover my mouth with my hand to muffle the sound before I broke out in a fit of laughter. These guys sounded like a bad spy movie.

"The General is busy. I repeat—the General is busy, so no hanky-panky needed right now." I saw Edward run a hand through is hair in exasperation, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"So when do you suggest we implement the plan?" He inquired.

"He said he'd meet me after work."

"Can I talk?" I looked meaningfully at where the bug was located.

"All clear. Go ahead, Jellybean."

"Ah…okay. Is that my code name?" Now I just needed a pair of black Ray Bans and I'll be all set to go undercover.

"You should be honoured— it goes as Belly-jean the other way around. That sounds really sexy, don't you think?" Edward groaned at Emmett's bizarre creativity. I decided to take it in my stride. It was going to be a pointless exercise to protest, if the way he continued to use Tweety and Jizzy boy was anything to go by. And I really didn't want him to come up with an even worse one which was a distinct possibility.

"Ah…well…thanks, I guess. So, I was thinking there is an even better way of handling this. I was a little worried to have a public display of affection at office in the middle of a work day. I think this after-work timing gives us the perfect opportunity to stage this in such a way that…er…the General hasn't got a leg to stand on, so to speak."

"How?" Emmett asked.

"Well, why don't you get him to meet you in the car-park near the side entrance. The back entrance of Café Latte is visible through there since they adjoin each other. I actually parked my car at the Café's car-park today, since I had my breakfast there. When I went to remove it, Esme told me to just leave it there and that Mary wouldn't mind it. How about if er…Tweety and I makeout in the Café car-park where the General has a good view of us? He can't fire us for inappropriate conduct on office premises if it's done there."

"Wow, you have brains, Jellybean! I'm impressed." I saw Jasper give me a thumbs-up, and Edward's crooked smile made an appearance.

"For the last time, I am not Tweety. But I do like your idea. Let's make some hot latte, Jellybean." Alice giggled.

"Sure."

"So Edkins, are you okay with this new plan?" Oh! There it was. Wonder why he was called that?

"Sure. Could you focus the new cameras we put up there so that we get a good view of the café as well?"

"Will do."

"One more thing, Em. How did you come up with the name Edkins for Edward?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity. Once again, Edward groaned.

"Well, it was Carlisle who surprisingly provided me with the inspiration for that one. Did you know that he has a photo of Edward in a Halloween pumpkin suit on his desk?" I was really surprised to hear that. So he did care for Edward in his own way I guess. Edward looked very embarrassed by this explanation.

"He just wouldn't remove it, Bella. I guess it has a sentimental value for him. It was taken the last Halloween we spent as a family before my mom died. All three of us are in it. He really did love Mom a lot."

"That's really sweet of him to keep that photo."

"I guess so, but not when everyone who visits sees it and figures out it's me in that ridiculous get up."

"Well, I should find an excuse and visit his office to see it." I couldn't help smirking at a horror-struck Edward.

"Please do, Bella. He really does look cute. I've been trying to dress him up as a pumpkin for Halloween again for years now, but he just wouldn't do it," Alice chirped. I had to laugh at this.

"Enough fun at my expense. So, are we all okay with the new plan?"

A chorus of yeses rang out, and we all hung up.

When it was close to five, I packed up everything and got ready to leave as soon as Rosalie left to freshen up in the bathroom. I was now familiar with her routine. I didn't want her creating any sideshows to distract from our little play. Edward gave me the all clear signal after monitoring her movements, and I rushed out to the café. I had already given Angela some work to hand over to Rosalie to make sure that she's kept occupied for the next half hour or so. Hopefully, my strategy would work.

"Hi, Bella, you are early today."

Esme a waitress at the café greeted me as soon as I entered. She had a worried look on her face. She was a very beautiful woman, but life had not been kind to her. I guess it was a bad day for her son. She always had that look when he wasn't doing well.

"Just thought I'd come in a bit early and wait for Alice. How's Colin today?"

"He was a bit more cranky than usual. Sue had to literally drag him away from me when I left for work."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Hope he settled down after you left."

"He just doesn't like to stay in one place, Bella. If I could just save up enough to get that operation done..." she sighed. We had all offered to help out, but it was way too expensive even with our help. Esme would have to take care of him full time for at least a year until he recovered

"The offer to ask for Edward's help is still open."

"I know, Bella, but I really have no connection to the Cullens and your Edward hasn't even set foot in this establishment, so he wouldn't even know who I was."

"I'll bring him over one of these days. I've told him a bit about you." Esme smiled. I knew she wasn't having too much hope that things would work out, but she was a strong woman and she did the best she could for Colin. He was such a sweet child.

"Thanks, I'd really like to meet him after hearing so much about him."

"Hello there! This is going to be so much fun! Did you tell Esme?" The pixie rushed in, bubbling with excitement.

"Tell Esme what?" Esme smiled at Alice, setting a place for her at the table I'd taken. She put two chocolate brownies in front of us.

"We are going to makeout in your parking lot!" Alice giggled, barely containing her excitement. I was sure she was vibrating.

"Who? Edward and Bella?" Esme was one of the very few people I'd told about Edward. I ate breakfast everyday at the café, and Alice started joining me after we became friends.

"No, silly…me and Bella." Esme looked from Alice to me and back to Alice, speechless. I was sure she didn't know what to make of this.

"What about Edward? Did you break up?" Esme looked worried.

"No, no. It's all a charade to mislead Carlisle. You know, Edward's dad, the big ogre," Alice chuckled.

"Why'd you want to do that?"

"Because he's always suspicious and wants to break-up Edward and Bella." Alice as talking a mile a minute, and Esme looked bewildered.

"Why would he want to do that?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Because he dated Bella first, so he doesn't want Edward to go out with her."

"Oh, I see." Obviously she didn't see, because she looked even more confused.

"He asked me out to this company function, and I didn't want to say no since he was the company head. I was actually formally introduced to Edward for the first time at that function by Carlisle."

"And it was love at first sight." There was a dreamy look on Esme's face.

"Esme..! Anyway, we got to know each other, but we don't really want to offend Carlisle, so we haven't told him yet about us. Carlisle also seems a bit upset with me, after I refused to go out with him again the next time he asked."

"And you've decided to create a diversion by pretending to be swinging the other way." It was Esme's turn to chuckle, shaking her head at us.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it." I smiled back at her.

I gave Alice a warning look. I didn't want her to tell Esme about Carlisle hiring Rosalie to spy on me or any of the other stuff going on at Cullen Enterprises. If this got out, the press would have a field day with it. There could also be very sensitive material that we haven't yet figured out that could potentially harm the company. We were still in the dark about Carlisle's real intentions, so we had to be careful. Although I trusted Esme, there was no point in dragging her into this crazy mess in which she had no part.

Right on cue, my phone buzzed.

"Get ready, girls, the stage is all yours. We should be there in a few minutes. Better start smooching it up now." I smiled at Emmett's message, written in his own unique style.

"All right, we are up." Alice started giggling like a school girl, trying to rush out into the parking lot.

"Oh…no, wait. We have to do this the right way. If I was with you, I'd want to walk out slowly holding hands with you, taking my time, talking and sharing loving looks."

"Is that what you do with Edward?"

"Maybe…" I laughed.

"Okay, I can do that. I'll pretend you are Jasper."

Esme watched with some amusement as we put our arms around each other, and whispered to the other pretending to be absorbed in what we were saying. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Carlisle in the company parking lot with Emmett.

"Lights, camera, action," Alice chimed, and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Shit! That was so not good, but then Alice flung herself at me wrapping her hands around me, pushing me on to the side of my car, kissing me hard. She was still battling a fit of giggles and shaking with mirth, but to an onlooker, it would seem like we were both having a fun time with each other. Guess that should do.

"Hey, you know something, Bella? Our guys must be glued to the security cameras watching us now. Shall we give them a proper show?" At the mention of Edward watching me kiss Alice, my whole body heated up.

"Let's." I leaned down, and this time, our lips met in a more seductive kiss. I closed my eyes, pretending I was kissing Edward, thinking how sexy it was to get Edward all wound up watching me kiss another girl. I could tell that Alice was doing the same thing as she actually moaned, and then a light giggle escaped her lips, taking the seriousness out of the moment.

"Make some sounds, like the stars do in movies."

I tried moaning a little, but nearly ended up gagging. I noticed I could see Carlisle through my side mirror if we angled a bit. I slowly turned Alice to the side and raised my eyes a bit, looking into the side mirror. I saw Carlisle rooted to the spot, watching us, with Emmett behind him. Em had a goofy smile on his face. The look of pure shock on Carlisle's face was well worth all the trouble we were taking to deceive him.

"Alice, I'm going to pretend to touch you and enjoy it. Do the same. I can see Carlisle watching us in shock. Let's give him some more action."

"Sure."

I kissed Alice deeper this time, running my hands over her back and sides.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice called out in a moan, grabbing my butt. It tickled, and I bucked into Alice's pelvis without thinking. This time, I saw Carlisle's mouth literally drop open in shock. The smile on Emmett's face also disappeared, replaced by something akin to disbelief, which I didn't attempt to analyse. I wondered why I had never felt ticklish when Edward touched me like that.

I kissed the side of Alice's neck. "That tickles," I whispered in her ear to stop her from fondling my butt again.

"Mmm…Alice…" I gave a look of pure pleasure, imagining Edward with my eyes half closed as I raised my head again to peep into the side mirror. Carlisle was running a hand through his hair just the way Edward does when he is agitated— talking rapidly to Emmett, gesturing wildly at us. Emmett was shrugging his shoulders as if to say he didn't know. I saw Rosalie walking into the parking lot in the peripheral, staring at everyone in shock, then rushing away. Guess she didn't want to face Carlisle.

A horn blared at us, and that was when we noticed that we were blocking the parking space next to my vehicle. I thought it was enough of a show for now.

"Alice, I think that's enough for today. Let's go. I don't want him to come over here and try to talk to us."

After another steamy goodbye kiss to Alice, I quickly got into my car and drove off. She was still giggling when she went back into the café, most likely thinking about what Jasper had just seen. I wondered what Edward was thinking now. I couldn't wait to see his reaction when I saw him tomorrow.

**Emmett's POV**

I heaved a sigh of relief after I got back to my office. That went well, I guess. Carlisle had been speechless for once when he saw the two girls making out. They sure can act. If I hadn't known that Alice and Bella were pretending, I'd have thought it was for real. Man! They could kiss. I wonder how Edward and Jasper fared. I'm sure both would have been sporting a boner by the end of that show. Should give a call and update them. Not that Carlisle said much except for muttering, "how could this be, how could she. Bloody hell, what am I going to do? This is a f*ing nightmare!" That was all he would say. I'd tried to prompt him, but then suddenly he seemed to come to his senses and just clamed up. That was the end of it. I could still picture his face which is something I won't forget any time soon. I couldn't help chuckling at how flabbergasted he looked.

"Well, well… what have we here? Laughing and enjoying our deeds, are we?"

I felt the cold muzzle of a gun on the back of my head. Oh, shit! I knew that voice. I cursed the fact that there were no security cameras in my office. I should have had one installed when the new cameras were put in and had it linked just to Edward's computer. At least then Edward might have been watching and would have seen the fix I was in. Even if he didn't make it in time to save me, they would at least know what happened. I took a deep breath and slowly turned to face my attacker. If I was going down, I'd do it face-to-face.

**A/N:** Who do you think held Emmett at gunpoint? Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I received. It was truly amazing to see how much response I get for this story. Thank you Twimarti and Dazzleglo! As always your help means a lot to me.


	10. Chapter 10 Let the Games Begin

**Chapter 10 **

**Let the Games Begin!**

**Edward's POV**

I was staring at the screen dumbstruck. It was one thing to hear that Rosalie thought Bella and Alice had made out and completely another to actually witness it. Good God! If the two of them acted even the slightest bit like they were doing right now when Rosalie first saw them, no wonder she thought they were lesbians. Even I, as Bella's boyfriend, was having a hard time believing that she didn't swing both ways from the show we were getting right now.

"Holy shit, man!"

Jasper's cursing made me realise I was not the only one having a hard time not believing what was unfolding on the screen right now. One thing was for sure, Carlisle was going to believe it. I didn't even have to see the way he was standing, like a statue, staring in their direction, to know that he was completely taken-in. I only wish we could have had a camera put in just to record his current expression. He was running his hand through his hair and pulling it. I could sense that he was very frustrated. Emmett too was staring at the girls in awe. I'm sure he would be cracking some very bad jokes in the near future.

"My thoughts exactly," I responded without taking my eyes from the screen. A mighty army couldn't have dragged me from this seat and the screen right now. I was sporting a massive hard-on and was feeling a bit uncomfortable for getting turned on by my girlfriend kissing another girl. Was it healthy to feel this way? I guess my cock just didn't know the difference. I sighed.

"Are you sure Bella is straight? Man…the way she's running her hands over Alice!" Jasper groaned.

"I'm actually asking the same question myself. And, Jazz, do you think Alice has something for girls?"

"Good Lord! Alice is squeezing Bella's butt! Shit! Either the two of them are really good actresses, or we are going to lose our girls."

"No way." I stated emphatically, although my heart started beating violently in my chest. Could it be that Bella was more into girls? No, I didn't think so. She had never made a pass at anyone or even looked at any girl that way.

"Anyway, Carlisle sure looks agitated. This development definitely is not to his liking. Look at the way he's talking to Emmett."

"Wish they were standing close enough to the camera so we could hear what they were saying. I agree with you. This has surely put a damper on his plans."

"Wonder what he'll do next?"

"Well, we've done our part by taking some action to speed things along; now the ball is in his court. We have forced his hand. Let's see what he does next."

"Oh, the girls just broke away, and Alice is going back into the Café. Are you meeting Bella later?" Jazz inquired.

"No, we are not going to meet out of office till Saturday. It will be prudent to be on our guard, specially since we've now forced Carlisle to act." Saturday seems so far away and is going to be a very long wait.

"I guess so. I can't wait to get home. We are surely going to have a good time tonight." He mused and I knew without even looking that he was sporting the same boner I was from watching. The only difference, he was getting to go home to his woman who will satisfy it.

Jazz winked at me as he walked out of my office to get ready to leave for the evening. I wished I could live with Bella, like Jazz does with Alice. It would have made things so much easier. But we really can't do anything right now, and our relationship has not progressed to that level yet where I can ask her to move in with me. I sighed. What a mess. Should I simply just approach my father and ask him what was going on? He is my father, after all. He surely wouldn't want to do anything to hurt me. I was mulling over that as I waited for Emmett to make an appearance.

"Jazz, are you heading out now?"

"No, not yet. Have to wait for Alice to come out of the café… no point going home without her. And I really want to know what the General said to Em. It sure looked like he was going nuts."

"Okay, well, let's wait for Emmybear then." I couldn't help chuckling at how ridiculous Emmett sometimes could be. He was late, which was unusual for him. I would have expected him to be here in my office by now, knowing how much fun he was having with all this sneaking around and what he just witnessed.

**Emmett's POV**

I slowly raised my hands up in the air.

"Remove your weapon and kick it away."

I obeyed, slowly removing it from my waist and flinging it away out of reach of both of us. The barrel pushed into my skull with a bit more pressure. I had to handle this right. I knew it was important to remain calm in a situation like this, and I had a very good chance of escaping this unharmed if I played my cards right. I believed in fair play and prayed that my assailant valued it as well, giving me an opportunity to try to talk myself out of this. I hadn't been shot yet; if this was a straightforward assassination, I'd be dead by now. This was more likely a negotiation or threat of some sort. All my training kicked in as I raised both my hands above my head once again, indicating surrender. I then unhurriedly turned towards the person holding the gun.

I was taken aback by the ferociousness in her cold blue eyes. The eyes I'd come to dream about. Nothing of the warmth I knew they were capable of remained in her look. It was as if she was in a trance. Was she mad? She had moved back a bit out of my reach when I turned, so I didn't have a chance at grabbing her. She sure knew what she was doing. I wondered who she was working for. Clearly I had played right into her hands by hiring her. Did Carlisle know? Had all the candidates been his minions and the interview just a farce to get me to think all was above board?

"You bastard. How could you do this to me? To her?" Huh? What the hell was she talking about? My look of confusion seemed to aggravate her even more.

"Just like a man to have no clue about the lives he wrecks." She let out a brittle laugh once again filled with self-loathing. Who was this woman? What did she want from me?

"I'm talking about what you did this afternoon, you big oaf. How could you? How could you go to that womanizer and tell him about her? How could you?" A lightbulb went off in my head somewhere. She was talking about Bella.

"Is this about Bella?"

"Of course it's about Bella—took you long enough to even figure it out. I thought you were brighter than that, Mr. McCarty. It looks like you need some more reminding of what exactly you did and the untold damage you have caused for both Bella and Alice."

"Just hold on a second. I didn't do anything. Hell, I didn't even know they were into each other until you told me."

"And I was the big idiot who trusted you with that secret. I had promised the girls that I would not tell anyone. This is my own fault for trusting a man to do the right thing. I thought you were different. I should have known how fickle all men really are."

"Wait just a minute. I didn't tell Carlisle anything. I just had some documents in my car that I needed to give him. He walked with me to the car park so that he could collect them before he left for the day." At this, a frown marred the beautiful features I'd come to adore.

"So you are telling me that you didn't tell Carlisle about Alice and Bella?"

Thank God I could truthfully answer that question. If she had asked whether I'd deliberately lead him to them, then I would have been screwed! I knew in my heart that Grandma McCarty was right and I really couldn't lie, even to save my ass as this situation demanded.

"No, I didn't. He happened to see them. Hell, they weren't even on Cullen property."

"And thank God for that. He can't fire them for improper conduct. And now that the non-fraternisation policy is void, he can't sue them for having an affair either. However, I could tell he didn't like what he saw. And, let me tell you mister, he sure didn't sound very pleased when I told him an employee's private life after office hours had nothing to do with business and was her own. I was hired to shadow Bella and see whether she was doing something illegal with company secrets, but this particular relationship sure doesn't fall into that category."

"I agree with you. I really don't like all this spying Carlisle is doing, especially on his own flesh and blood."

"I too don't understand it. He's already handed over the company to his son, so why is he having us spy on him now?" I decided to take a gamble with what I was going to divulge next. I hope to God I was right about this woman.

"He bugged Edward's phone when he was just a teenager. That boy had no privacy whatsoever." Her eyes grew huge.

"I used to work for Cullen Enterprises at the time, and I really didn't like what he was doing. It was not as if Edward was not the model student. Edward did everything right, never once put a foot out of line. He graduated with first-class honours and was even valedictorian, but still his father didn't trust his own son. Who does that?"

"You mean all this time, he's been spying on his own son, and this is nothing new?" She had a look of shock on her face.

"Yes. He's been doing that for a long time. After Edward joined the company, he didn't bug his phone anymore. But then all of a sudden, after the handover, he had Edward's office bugged."

"That must be awful to have your father suspect you like that. Oh, does Edward know?"

"Can you keep a secret?" I decided it was now or never. She obviously didn't like Carlisle that much, and this was our chance to try and win her over. I still didn't fully trust her, but it was no state secret that Edward might be intelligent enough to have located a bug and gotten to know that Carlisle was spying on him. I decided to keep my part of informing Edward of his phone being bugged when he was still a teenager out of the story. No need to let her know how close Edward and I were.

"I sure can, unlike certain people." She gave me a meaningful look and I knew she implied that I couldn't keep a secret.

"Honest to God, Rosalie, I did not tell Carlisle about them."

"I'm beginning to believe you, so God help me, if you are in cahoots with that man who thinks he's god's gift to women, I will not hesitate to pull this trigger."

I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from me. Carlisle did really act like he was God's gift to women most of the time. She was very shrewd to have figured it out at such an early stage of their acquaintance.

"Trust me, Rosalie, I really have no interest in divulging unnecessary private details about people to others."

"Well, now tell me this state secret you so obviously want me to keep?"

Before I could say anything else, my office door burst open and Edward stood in the doorway.

"I thought I told you to lay off the detective stuff, Em. I don't want you to get a bullet through your head." I watched in dismay as Rosalie's eyes slightly darted towards Edward, but didn't waver for a moment in her resolve to keep the gun pointing right at me.

"Hello there, Ms. Hale, I don't think we've been formerly introduced. I'm Edward Cullen, CEO of Cullen Enterprises. And you are Rosalie Hale, secret service agent appointed to get our help for your investigation into some business partners of ours."

I watched in horror as Edward walked into the room as if he was just coming in to greet a new acquaintance. He held out his hand to her, and she didn't seem to know what do make of it as she glanced in shock at Edward's outstretched hand. It only took that small moment of distraction, and in that split second, the gun Rosalie was holding was now in Edward's hand, pointing right at her while she looked dumbstruck at the muzzle of her own gun, and then at Edward. I barely managed to stop from shouting out loud, congratulating Edward.

My God, that boy had really learned his stuff. I had insisted that he trained alongside me on self-defence and other combat training exercises. He was very graceful in his movements, and I knew Edward had a good head on his shoulders, but this is the first time I'd seen him in action, where there was any real danger. He had surely saved my life. I knew I could have maybe talked my way out of this, but it could have still gone the other way.

"So, you are not just a pretty face, I see. I underestimated you, Cullen." I had to hand it to Rosalie she still stood her ground even with Edward now pointing the gun right at her. Damn the woman was spectacular.

"Glad you did; Ms. Hale, now why don't you tell me what your employer's are really after?"

"You are not getting that information out of me."

"Well, I guess they wouldn't mind it if I may have shot one of their agents by mistake in self-defence, of course, while trying to save Emmett. I'm a layman after all— I might have simply cocked the gun by mistake." He said in a casual laid back voice.

Edward gave a sly grin, and even I gasped in shock when in the next second he fired a shot that whizzed right by Rosalie's ear. This time, I could tell Rosalie was shaken to the core. She gripped the table behind her, and a bead of sweat ran down the side of her delectable neck. An errant thought of licking it off crossed my mind. Jesus Christ! I had it bad!

"We civilians don't really know much about guns, do we, Emmett?" The look he gave me told me he wanted me to play along. I realised that Edward wanted information out of Rosalie. There was more to her than being a simple spy for Carlisle.

"No, you don't. I wouldn't be surprised if you hit something or someone by mistake." I winked at Edward, turning my face to the side so that Rosalie couldn't see it. Rosalie huffed in indignation.

"Now, Ms. Hale, talk." This time, Edward pointed the gun right at the middle of her forehead. She was sweating, and I could see the fingers gripping the desk turn white with tension. But, to her credit, she kept her silence.

"Loyal to the last breath, I see. Well, let me try to make things clearer to you." What the hell was he talking about now? Edward was smirking as if he knew a secret.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Ms. Hale, but I'm disappointed in your conduct. I don't think your bosses would like it if you'd blown a hole in my security chief's head, who incidentally happens to be a former colleague of theirs." This piece of information really had Rosalie gasping in shock. Even I was momentarily distracted.

"I guessed as much. They sure are a bit stingy with information and I really didn't like the fact that they decided to keep me in the dark until just a few minutes ago. A few minutes that could have been the difference between life or death for my security chief." There was a hard glint in his eyes as he said this. I knew then how shaken Edward truly had been when he saw me at Rosalie's mercy.

"I…I'm very sorry. I was told to trust no one and to keep an eye on what was happening with your business dealings with some of your partners."

"Aha, so that's their game, but unfortunately for them, Ms. Hale, I don't take kindly to being kept in the dark for so long. I suppose Carlisle has no idea either?" Rosalie just kept staring at Edward, but then he cocked his gun again.

"Oh all right, I guess they'd have to tell you very soon if they want to get your help in setting up everything."

"They did ask for a private audience with me. I suppose that's what they wanted to do," Edward mused.

"Did they call your phone?" I wanted to make sure I erased the recordings before Carlisle got to them.

"No, they contacted me through your favourite ice-cream, Ben & Jerry's." Edward chuckled at the puzzled expression on Rosalie's face. I'm a genius to have come up with that one for Jason Jenks, who was our contact at the secret service headquarters.

"Oh, I see. Guess they wanted to keep things under wraps for a while."

"I understand, but I'm still annoyed that they have not told me exactly who they suspect and who these so-called business partners are."

"Same here. For now, my main suspect is Ms. Swan, as Mr. Carlisle Cullen indicated that he suspects her of industrial espionage," Rosalie blurted out, and Edward laughed out loud at this.

"And he appoints her my legal assistant. Does any of this make any sense to you, Ms. Hale?"

"Not really, but I've been vigilant of Ms. Swan's conduct."

"So what have you found out so far?" Edward's eyes were gleaming with suppressed mirth, but Rosalie didn't seem to notice it as she first glanced at me and then back at Edward.

"Maybe Mr. McCarty would do the honours?" I couldn't help laughing, and Edward valiantly tried to cover his laughter with a cough.

"Tell me, Emmett?" He barely met my eye.

"Bella is having an affair with Alice Brandon from HR."

"My my, that's some interesting office gossip. So who else is privy to this so-called affair?"

"No one else knows, but I guess Carlisle figured it out when he saw them er…give a nice demonstration at Café Latte," Rosalie pointed out.

"I knew I should have gone there and had a nice cup of coffee—should do it soon. I've heard they serve some good brownies?" Edward gave me a conspiratorial look, finally handing me the gun after putting the safety in place, still out of reach of Rosalie.

"They sure do. I love them." I agreed, rubbing my stomach for effect.

"What's the matter with you two? I thought we were talking about something serious here and all you can think about is food! Men! When will I ever understand them?"

"Well, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I winked at Rosalie. She put her hands up in the air in frustration, shaking her head.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Cullen, your father is having me spy on the goings on at your office as well."

"Sure, he's already bugged my office and my phone, so no worries. I'm used to it. Well, who wants to join me for a brownie at the Café Latte?"

"Not me. I'm already full with the pizza I gobbled up after lunch." I was sorry to have to miss the brownies, but I needed to get home to my mother's for dinner.

"What about you, Ms. Hale?" Edward sure was pulling out all the stops. He gave me a sly look, putting on a charming smile for Rosalie. My God, if Edward and Bella decide to take up acting, no one else was going to stand a chance in getting good film roles.

"Are you crazy? I'm going home. Good night." Rosalie huffed as she quickly turned to get out of the room.

"Not so fast, Ms. Hale, from now on, you work for me, understood?" All the playfulness had vanished from Edward's face, and the man who just held a secret service agent at gunpoint was back. Rosalie gulped. She was no fool.

"Sure, Mr. Cullen."

"I want an update on everything that is happening around here. And while you are at it, keep an eye on my father too. I want to know why he hired you in the first place."

"Yes, Mr. Cullen."

"Good. Now have a nice evening." Edward smiled, turning back into his other persona, and Rosalie blinked in confusion, unable to come to terms with Edward's rapid personality changes. She shook her head as if to clear it, gave me a stern look as if to say I'm not finished with you, and then gracefully walked out of the room. She's one hell of a woman and I knew I was a goner.

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews you've written. I had such a difficult time getting this chapter done. Word was crashing all the time. I'm actually using the fanfiction editor to write this part. As always a huge thank you goes out to Twimarti and Dazzleglo for getting this chapter back to me so fast. I'm going on vacation for a few weeks but don't worry I'll try my best to update weekly on Friday as usual. Please do review and tell what you think the General might do next? **


	11. Chapter 11 The Ambush

**Chapter 11 **

**The Ambush **

**Bella's POV**

Edward called me into his office as soon as I got in. Jasper was already there. We were on a conference call with Emmett. I was horrified to hear about what had happened in Emmett's office yesterday evening after I left.

"He saved my ass, Bella," Emmett said in a serious tone so unlike him.

"Come on, Em, I don't think she was going to really shoot you." I could tell Edward was trying to make light of it, but sounded incredibly shaken over the whole episode.

"So does Rose know about us now?"

"No, she doesn't. However, she's not very pleased with all the spying. Now, she knows that Edward knows about her, but she doesn't know about you guys." To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with it either as the potential for things to go wrong and someone, like my Edward, getting hurt was a very real possibility which was already evident by the events of last night.

"I'd like to keep it that way," Edward muttered.

I turned toward him and asked. "Why, don't you trust her?"

"I don't know what the Secret Service guys are after, and they say it's highly confidential. Even Rosalie doesn't seem to know what they want, or she's a good actress. Either way, we need to be careful. So it's best she's not in on what's really going on until we know more facts. I doubt my father would do anything illegal, but I really don't want him in trouble. I don't know why they chose to inform me about Rosalie and asked me to keep it to myself without telling Carlisle. It sounds really unprofessional and fishy to me. I mean, he's my father…why wouldn't I tell him?"

"Maybe they want you to tell him, and see how he reacts?"

"You are right, Bella. I think they want him to tell the General," Jasper chimed in.

"Well, that's precisely what I'm not going to do. I refuse to be one of their puppets."

"I agree. I think we should just wait and see what happens. I also think Rosalie is someone who is very loyal once she believes in a cause. She wouldn't have otherwise confronted you like that, Em. That was a very bold move on her part."

"What are you saying, Bella?"

"I think you should try to get to know her better, going with the original plan, Em."

"Shit, you want me to go out with chicks waving guns at me?"

"Sure, why not? She didn't shoot you or me now, did she?" Edward chuckled. "Besides I thought that commando shit turned you on."

"I probably would've been turned on if not for the gun pointed at my head. But, someone sure did shoot." Emmett's own laughter rang out through the line.

"What? What the hell happened in there?" I couldn't help panicking.

"That was all Edward's doing."

"You shot? I mean you…"

"He shot a bullet that whizzed right by Rosalie's ear. You should've seen the look on her face. That gave her something to really think about. She was gripping that table like it was a lifeline. My God, Edward! You gave me a real fright with all that 'if you get shot, it'd be an accident' as if you were considering doing it. You sounded so serious." Em prattled on with his tale.

"Well, you are the one who trained me to act in a crisis situation."

"I'm never more thankful for that. Oh shit…Rosalie just got in the elevator."

"Best get back to work, then," Edward said.

"Bye, Em," Jasper called out as he held Edward's office door open for me.

"Not so fast, Bella. I need you for a second." Jasper walked out, shaking his head. I heard a chuckle on the other side of the line as Emmett hung up.

"Edward…we really should be careful, you know?"

"I know, but after what happened yesterday, I think I need therapy to get over the trauma I suffered after being held at gunpoint."

For a moment, I looked up in shock at Edward, but then the twinkle in his eye told me exactly what kind of therapy he was talking about. I pretended to play along.

"Well, Mr. Cullen. I could book an appointment for you with a therapist. I know I could find one that would take our health insurance. What time would you want it?" Edward's eyes darkened at that.

"How about right now?" He walked around the table, casually sauntering towards me.

"I'll get right on it. Do you have any particular therapist in mind?"

"I'm looking right at her." He came to a stop right in front of me.

"My, Mr. Cullen, I'm flattered." I batted my eyelashes at him, hoping it was flirtatious.

"You should be." With that, he reached for me, pulling me hard against him. His kiss had a desperate edge to it that had never been there before. I realised then that Edward was not really okay. He may not need therapy, but yesterday's incident had left its mark. He'd had to deal with someone holding a gun. My God, what if Edward had been shot? What if something had happened to him? I loved this man.

_Oh my God— I love him! I loved Edward. _

I gasped as I realised what this meant. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss French-kissing me. My own response was immediate. God… I could have lost him. I desperately clung to him, comforted by the accelerated beat of his heart and heat of his body. Thank God it was still beating.

"Bella, love, I need you… so much." I moaned as his hands travelled up my skirt, reaching for my panties. I widened my legs, giving him access, while still kissing him wherever I could reach. I had just stepped out of my panties when I heard Jasper's loud voice.

"Edward is busy. I'll let him know you wanted to see him."

"I've got to see him now."

"I said no, what part of that don't you get Rosalie." Jasper huffed.

And then I heard a knock on Edward's door. Edward gave me a panicked look just before I quickly opened the door to his attached bedroom. I barely managed to pull the door closed halfway when Rosalie walked in. I didn't dare pull it closed in fear that it would attract Rosalie's attention. I was not in any condition to face her right now. If she saw me now, she'd think I'm some kind of a flirt sleeping with everyone around the office! Why the hell do we always get interrupted? At least last time we'd found some satisfaction, but I wanted all of him. I felt the wetness dripping down my thigh and remembered that I didn't have my panties on. Oh shit! I hope Edward managed to conceal them before Rosalie saw them.

"Ah…Miss Hale, so good of you to barge into my office unannounced. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I was surprised at Edward's calm voice. How the hell did he manage to do that?

"Drop the act, Mr. Cullen. I've got to give you an update on something urgent."

"Okay, go ahead. What is it this time?" I heard the forced boredom in his voice.

"Are you aware that Bella is having an affair with Alice?"

"My employees' affairs are of no concern to me, especially now that the non-fraternisation policy was abolished. Why is it so important to you? Or is it that you find yourself interested in Bella and want me to help you break them up?" He chuckled at this. I knew very well he was saying this, knowing that I could hear him. He really was having some fun at Rosalie's expense.

"Just like a man to imagine the worst. I just want your help. I'm hoping that Emmett told you about them, and you would wish to prevent an unpleasant situation from occurring here in the office for both Bella and Alice."

"And why do you think something like that could happen?"

"Because, I just saw Carlisle confront Alice about it at the Café Latte. I was just going there for a coffee, when I saw him talking to her. I listened to them for a while. Here—I've got the recording." Why was I not surprised? They had recordings of every damn thing happening in this office. I sincerely hoped there were no cameras in the restrooms!

"I think it's best if we listen to it in Emmett's office. Meet me there in ten. We shouldn't arrive together, and I think Bella should hear it as well."

"Why not… oh, sorry." Rosalie finally sounded worried, and I realised she only remembered the office being bugged just now.

"No harm done. I'll get it erased. Now-I'll meet you there."

Once the door closed, I heard Edward put the lock in as it clicked in place. I finally heaved a sigh of relief and turned to open the bedroom door just as Edward opened it.

"You can come out now, sweetheart." He pulled me back into his arms, this time placing a chaste kiss on my lips. When I went to deepen it, he pulled away slightly.

"We've got to wait till Saturday, love. Now more than ever." I could tell he was as disappointed as I was as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Yeah, I heard what Rosalie said."

"Well, let's get going. I told her I'd bring you and meet her there in ten."

"I'd better freshen up a bit." I turned to go to Edward's bathroom, but then realised I had to find my panties. I looked around but couldn't see them anywhere. Thankfully, he'd hidden them well.

"Looking for something?" Edward smirked at me.

"Er…just…where did you put them?"

"Where did I put what?" He was trying to get me to say it. Well, here goes nothing.

"My panties."

"Oh…Bella, that really was very careless of you. How could you lose your panties?"

"You know very well how they came to be missing, now give them back. I've got to freshen up before we go."

"Therapists who don't finish their sessions don't get paid, or better yet I'll hold onto these as a security deposit till they complete their obligations." The crooked smile I loved graced his face.

"Oh really? Interesting…guess I'll just have to walk around half naked then. I'm sure that won't be a problem since only you and I would know." Yup, that knowledge was sure to be on his mind all day now.

I saw his eyes widen at this. Oh…he was getting turned on. I saw the distinct bulge in his pants. Two could play that game. I slowly turned away from him and started walking towards the bedroom, swaying my hips a bit.

"Umm…that feels kind of nice, you know..." I rubbed my thighs together for effect "…to relieve the pressure that certain therapy patients build up." With that, I saw Edward's jaw nearly hit the floor. Oh…God, he looked so hot, turned on like that. It took everything in me to not jump him right then and there. I quickly walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

Fifteen minutes later, we walked briskly towards Emmett's office.

"Hope we are not late and she has not blown him to pieces," Edward half joked.

"And whose fault would that be?" I asked him, still annoyed that he refused to give back my panties. I'd taken an extra few minutes to search his office, while he updated Jasper, but I hadn't been able to find them. The look he gave me when I finally walked out of his office told me he knew exactly why I was late. _Oh, I'll get you back for this Mr. Cullen._

Once we got to Emmett's office, he put on the video Rosalie had made with her iPhone from a window of the café. Carlisle looked angry and was saying something to Alice. A scared-looking pixie was staring at the floor, looking very intimidated. They were too far away to pick up the sounds.

"Oh…poor Tweety," Emmett muttered.

"Excuse me? Who the hell is Tweety?" Rosalie asked, bewildered.

"Alice, of course. Don't you see the resemblance?"

"Oh never mind. Watch the next part." Rosalie chuckled.

The next instant, I saw a very angry-looking Esme walk out up to them. I saw her pull Alice to her, and the pixie buried her face in Esme's neck. I could see she was sobbing.

Esme wildly gestured at Carlisle with her hands; she looked really pissed. Carlisle stood there with a surprised look on his face. Gradually, his face turned a bit red, and then he said something else to Esme, looked at Alice once more, and stalked out of the building.

"I didn't stay to talk to either of them, since I had no idea how much they knew about me. I thought I'd have to tell you as soon as possible so that he doesn't do the same to Bella." She looked at me very worriedly. I was fuming by the time the video ended.

"Like hell he would. How dare he? I'm going to have a nice little chat with him." I turned to leave for Carlisle's office, fully intending to give him a piece of my mind, when Edward's phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket.

Holy shit! The lace trim of my panties popped out of his pocket. _Why the hell did I decide to wear red lace panties to office today? _

Emmett suddenly burst out laughing.

_No, oh God, no…not Emmett! _

I quickly stood right in front of Edward, partially covering him from Rosalie, hoping that she had not yet noticed it. Edward continued to respond to the message he received, completely ignorant of the catastrophe unfolding right in front of his very own eyes, courtesy of his carelessness. I was still annoyed with him for his refusal to give me back my property.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Rosalie looked at Emmett in surprise.

"Ed, you might want to…" Emmett blurted out, and I jumped in before he could finish his sentence. If he spoke up now, he'd ruin everything.

"Not a word, Em." I tapped my foot on the floor for emphasis, folding my hands in front.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Rosalie looked annoyed.

"What?" Edward sounded just as puzzled. So now he decided to notice. Or rather tried to step in front of me.

"And as for you, mister…" I quickly turned, purposely bumping into Edward and stuffing the lace-edging back into his pocket. I would have preferred to snatch it from him, but I had nowhere to hide them, and Rosalie would surely notice any big movements. I heard him mutter, _"oh shit"_ under his breath just before putting his phone back in his pocket with his hand, stuffing the panties back in more securely.

"Another word about Alice or me, and I will not hesitate to blow both of your brains out."

"Why does everyone want to suddenly shoot me? What did I do?" Emmett burst into another fit of laughter as he saw Edward's struggle to stuff the panties back in. Rosalie gave me a suspicious look.

"You know about that?"

"Know about what?" For a moment, I was confused. Did she notice what I just did? I had practically shoved my hand in Edward's pocket for a split second there.

"That I nearly shot him yesterday because I thought he'd told Carlisle about you and Alice."

"Thank you, Rose, for standing up for us. Edward just updated me on our way here." I thought it was no state secret and was about me anyway, so it was more than likely that Edward would have told me.

"It was my pleasure. And now what are these two up to?"

"Guess I can read their faces easily now, since I know them well. Em was about to crack one of his many jokes. Unfortunately, with Alice and me finally going out, he's got enough fodder to last him a lifetime."

"You can say that again, Jellybean," Emmett's guffaw rang out.

"You named her too?"

"Of course." Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett's prompt response.

"He names everyone," Edward muttered, shaking his head.

"So, pray tell me, what's my name?" Rose looked directly at Em, who for once looked a bit sheepish.

"You named her?" I was surprised, because I hadn't heard him call her anything except, well, she-devil. Oh shit!

"Umm…not exactly…I need time to come up with something," Emmett stammered.

"Emmett McCarty, what do you call me behind my back?" Rosalie faced him with her hands on her hips.

Edward laughed out loud at this. He sure wasn't going to rescue his friend after he nearly gave us up. I knew we'd be getting a lot of Emmett's teasing for the panty debacle for a very long time, I guessed this was our chance to get our own back.

"It's kind of, you know…it's just that…" He actually backed away towards his desk, but Rosalie followed him.

"You tell me right this minute." She poked a finger at his chest.

"Well, it's just that you, sort of… you know…are, well, a she-devil," he cringed as he blurted this out.

"What the f*ck, Emmett! I thought you liked me." I could tell Rosalie was genuinely hurt by this nickname.

"I do like you. It's just that…" Emmett looked around at us now, a pleading look on his face.

"He's just scared of you, Rose." I decided to speak up.

"You are?"

"Who the hell won't be when I'm held at gunpoint?" Suddenly, Rosalie burst out laughing, and this time, all of us looked at her in surprise.

"Well, I guess I kind of earned that nickname huh?" I was glad she had a sense of humour.

"Guess you did." Emmett heaved a sigh of relief.

**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I received. I'm on vacation so I don't get the opportunity to sit behind a computer much. So my review replies might get a bit delayed. Twimarti and Dazzleglo did a great job getting this chapter to be me before I went on vacation so that I'm able to do this upload. Hope you enjoyed it. So what did you think of the panty thief? What do you think Bella should do to get back at him for what he did? **


	12. Chapter 12 A piece of my mind

**Chapter 12**

**A piece of my mind**

**Edward's POV**

I watched as Bella marched straight into Carlisle's office, ignoring Tanya's protests. Tanya clambered after her. Carlisle immediately stood up. I had to hand it to him; he was always meticulous about his manners.

"Carlisle, she just wouldn't listen…I'm so sorry…I couldn't stop her." Carlisle took one look at Bella's face and actually cringed.

"It's okay. I'll handle it." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing in defeat.

"Are you sure?" Tanya didn't look too happy with this turn of events. It was obvious that she had been hoping for a different reaction from Carlisle.

"Yes, I'm sure." This time Carlisle used his authoritative voice, and Tanya quickly went out, closing the door behind her.

"Take a seat, Bella. What can I do for you?"

"No, thank you. I prefer standing." Bella glanced at her skirt and actually blushed. Oh shit! It's then that I realised that she was afraid to sit because I, like an idiot, hadn't given her panties back to her. Now she was confronting my father half naked!

Carlisle didn't sit either, standing behind his desk, and I could tell he didn't know exactly what to say to Bella.

"You had no right! You had no f*cking right to talk to her like that. Do you hear me?"

Bella had actually gone to the café to talk to Alice before confronting Carlisle, so she knew exactly what was said. I had hoped that she'd come to me first and tell me what had happened, but she'd barged right into Carlisle's office before we could do anything.

Never in a million years did I think that she had meant it when she said she was going to talk to Carlisle. Even Rosalie and Emmett looked surprised. They were both still with me in Emmett's office, watching the debacle through the security cameras. Jazz had already gone to the café to console Alice while we were at Emmett's office, and he had just come back with her. Alice was staring at the screen in amazement. Jazz's arm was around her. I hoped Rosalie would just think it's a friendly gesture. I didn't have the heart to point it out to them right now, when Alice needed his support. I moved slightly to Alice's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. Okay, now it wouldn't look too obvious. Alice looked up at me in surprise, but a small smile crossed her face when I grinned down at her.

"I…it was just…" Carlisle stammered.

"Don't try to make excuses. That policy is no longer in effect, and we are finally free to date. I don't see how any of it is your business."

I was amazed when Carlisle actually nodded his head in agreement.

"You are right. I'm sorry."

"Don't you ever…" Bella poked a finger at Carlisle's chest, leaning forward over his desk.

"Don't you ever dare to talk to her like that—ever again…do you understand me?"

Bella's face was red with anger. I've never seen her, this worked up. My God, she was magnificent in her rage. So hot! And to think while doing all that, she was sans panties. Shit… now I had a raging hard-on. I moved slightly behind Alice to cover myself, just in case someone turned towards me.

"I really am sorry, Bella. I just…I guess I wasn't thinking." Carlisle touched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a second. I was familiar with the gesture. He was deep in thought.

When he opened his eyes, Bella gave him a sly look.

"Well, just remember not to meddle in my private affairs again. It has nothing to do with this office, and I would appreciate it if I could keep my private life private. If I ever find that you have done something to invade that privacy again, mark my words—I will not hesitate to file a law suit against you." Carlisle winced.

Alice gasped in shock, and even I was startled.

"Does Bella know I was hired to spy on her?" Rosalie's question came out of nowhere, and Alice gasped once more.

"Well, not precisely. But she might suspect something if you keep following her around."

Suddenly, Rosalie noticed Alice's presence, and a deer caught in the headlights look came over her. It was obvious she had been so engrossed in Bella's little stunt with Carlisle that she had forgotten that Jasper and Alice had come to join us.

"I would much appreciate it if you keep this to yourself, Alice. It's highly confidential."

Alice looked at Rosalie with huge, red-rimmed eyes still brimming with tears and nodded her head. I pulled out my handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to Alice. She smiled as she took it from me, then blushed furiously while giggling, trying very hard to muffle the sound with the handkerchief.

Her reaction was so out of character for someone who had just been crying that I was a bit puzzled at first—that was until Jazz poked me and pointed down. Oh, shit! Not again. This time, half the panties were hanging out of my pocket, in addition to the embarrassment of the very obvious huge bulge in front. I quickly stuffed my ill-gotten goods back into my pocket.

_Great! Now the whole world knows exactly what my pocket holds. Why don't I just draft a memo and send it around, so that the rest of the office can be in on it as well?_

I looked around, hoping Rosalie hadn't seen it, but my hopes were in vain. She was staring at me in shock as well, while Em, noticing my obvious mistake, was shaking with laughter.

"My, my…red panties, . Wonder where you stole them from?"

Everyone was now turned towards me except for Alice, who started laughing out loud now watching the screen. I looked up and was just in time to catch Bella stealing some tissue from Carlisle's desk, while he once again had his eyes closed with his hand on the bridge of his nose.

She discreetly, moved behind the visitor's chair in front of his desk and wiped up her legs, then looked-up right up at the camera and blushed a bright shade of red, as if she had just remembered the security cameras and knew we might be watching her.

Alice's eyes were huge as saucers this time when she looked at me.

"Edward, you idiot!"

Thank god for small mercies since everyone was still looking at me and not at the screen. I felt my face heat up, as I realized Alice knew exactly what Bella had done, and I was the reason for this whole debacle.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, trying to figure out what to say to get out of this mess without arousing Rosalie's suspicions.

Realising my predicament, Jazz spoke up.

"Ed, I really don't want to know how that, ahem...item ended up in your pocket, but I suggest that you check your clothing before leaving home the next time."

He was a genius; not only did he make this all a joke about me and someone else, he implied it had happened at my home and not at the office.

"I think you should follow his advice, Mr. Cullen. I don't think your business partners, or for that matter the Cullen Enterprises board members, would appreciate the humour in the situation," Rosalie said in a stern voice.

"Oh, I know one person who would appreciate it—his father. Carlisle always thought Edward was too uptight and should loosen up a bit," Em piped in.

"Guess the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree after all." Rosalie gave me a disparaging look and turned towards the screen. She didn't see the glares she received from everyone else.

I grinned at the others, hoping to alleviate their anger. They knew that I was not like that, and that's all that mattered. I looked back at the screen.

Bella and Carlisle were talking again.

"Is that a picture of your family?" Bella pointed to the pumpkin suit photo. Shit! Guess she was determined to reap the maximum benefit possible from this visit. Carlisle smiled as he picked up the photo.

"Yes, that's Edward in the pumpkin suit. He was such a cute kid and I must say he's grown into a handsome young man. The one who finally wins his heart is going to be a very lucky lady," he spoke with pride and affection. This was so embarrassing.

Bella stared at him in surprise and fear. It was obvious she was worried that he had somehow figured out about us.

"You know, he's nothing like me, Bella. He deserves only the very best."

"Nothing like him—my foot!" Rosalie fumed. What was her problem? I could see the others get angry at her unwarranted criticism of me. I held my hand up when they turned to me.

"Let it go," I spoke up as Rosalie stared in surprise at the angry looks she was receiving.

"Don't tell me you guys think he's a saint after what you just saw happen right in this room." Alice for once looked furious.

"We are just saying that Edward is not like Carlisle, and he has much better taste." Em winked at me, grinning, trying to lighten the mood and speaking up just before Jazz had the opportunity to open his mouth. Jazz looked livid. I was sure things would have turned very unpleasant for Rosalie if she had to hear what he had to say to her comment.

I was so glad that I had such good friends who believed in me.

"Yes. I do have much better taste—I agree with you on that," I grinned back at Em. I really didn't want anyone to have a fight with Rosalie right now. We needed her cooperation to figure out this mess.

"Wonder how you've been evading the press all this time," Rosalie mused. I could see the wheels turning in her head.

I decided it was better if my image remained the way it was for us to continue to keep Rosalie in the dark.

"That's because I am more discriminating when it comes to who I date and know how to stay under the radar." I responded.

"With my help, of course. Not that he goes out that often," Em added, getting my drift. I realized since he was supposed to be shadowing me, he had to be aware of my affairs.

"Can I see the photo?" Bella asked tentatively.

Emmett laughed out loud. "She's going to love it, Edkins."

"I was wondering what Emmett came up with as a nickname for you. Guess the pumpkin suit explains it." Rosalie laughed, and it completely transformed her face.

Bella smiled as she looked at the photo. Carlisle had a nostalgic look on his face as he watched Bella. He really did love my mother very much.

"You know, you remind me a lot of Elizabeth, my wife."

Bella looked utterly shocked at that along with the rest of us. I couldn't help wondering whether that was the reason why he had asked her out despite the age difference, deviating from his usual blonde bimbos.

"She was never one to stand by if she thought something was wrong. She's usually very sweet and understanding. But mind you, if you hurt someone she loves, you really don't want to be on the receiving end of her fury," Carlisle mused.

Bella smiled in surprise.

"He's just like her, you know. Very kind-hearted and determined, always fighting for a cause, like the new Entrepreneurship Building Programme he started a few years back. And he looks so much like her with those emerald green eyes and messy bronze hair. It sometimes hurts to look at Edward. It took me years to come to terms with her death."

I never knew that. _Did I look that much like mom?_ _Was that why my father didn't spend much time with me when I was younger?_

"I understand," Bella muttered, and I saw the look of compassion in her eyes.

"How did she die?"

"She had cancer—we never knew. By the time we found out, it was too late and it had spread a lot. We did everything we could with what we had, but I still think if I had the money, we could have saved her. We would have been able to put her in a better medical facility…given her better drugs…" He sighed.

"You didn't always…" Bella didn't complete the sentence.

"No, Bella. We were just an ordinary family just like everyone else. I had to sell everything we had to pay for her medical costs, and Edward and I were nearly destitute when she passed away. I vowed to myself that I would never let that happen to us again."

Why was he telling her all this? He was never one to speak this freely, especially, about our past.

"He suspects her of industrial espionage, and he bares his heart to her? How very touching…if you ask me, he has a thing for her." Rosalie spoke the thoughts we all had in our minds.

"So you amassed millions." Bella nodded in understanding.

"That I did, and dated everything in sight trying to forget her. But I never could." Carlisle gave a disparaging smile.

"Until I met you, I never seriously considered marriage again." Bella gasped in horror, and Carlisle sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry about bringing that up. I won't trouble you again. I now know you have someone you love." Bella visibly relaxed, and I finally gulped in a much-needed breath of air.

"This is not the first time Carlisle made a move on Bella…?" Rosalie asked in surprise.

"No, she went on a date with him. In fact it was to the formal dinner that marked the handing over of the company to me," I spoke up. I might as well be upfront with Rosalie. Everyone in the office knew Bella was Carlisle's date for that evening.

"What the hell was she thinking?" Rosalie fumed once again. I didn't get Rosalie's sudden mood swings. She was such a volatile personality. It was difficult to understand the reason behind her sudden changes in temperament. Was she mentally sick? I didn't think so. The secret service would have been more discriminating in their hiring process.

"Look…Bella, I really am sorry about what happened. I was out of my element and didn't think before I acted," Carlisle said once more.

"It's okay, I guess. But please don't interfere in my affairs anymore."

"Sure."

"Well, then, I'll see you later." Bella made a move towards Carlisle's office door.

"Wait, will you let me take you out to dinner…" Bella gasped in shock, and Carlisle held up his hands.

"Let me finish."

"Will you let me take you and Alice out to dinner as a gesture of goodwill?" I saw Bella thinking, and then she suddenly smiled.

"Only me and Alice?"

Carlisle chuckled.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"You have given me no reason to do so." Bella returned his smile with a sly look.

"Well, I could ask Edward to join in." He ran a hand through his mussed-up hair again.

"I'll have to explain what a mess I'd made of things to him anyway. I guess I might as well do it with you two as a buffer." I smiled in derision. When did Carlisle ever fear me?

"That's a good idea." I could see the gleam in Bella's eyes.

Oh! That scheming woman—she knew Carlisle would suggest me, even as she mentioned her unease at going out alone with him.

"What the hell, I might as well invite Emmett and Rosalie. I owe them both an apology as well," Carlisle added.

"What happened with them?"

Carlisle cringed.

"Let's just say I sort of had words with them for not informing me about Alice and you."

"No one knew about us." Bella answered trying to defend them.

"I know that now. I'm sorry for everything."

"Why don't you invite Jasper as well? He's Edward's right-hand man." Bella knew Alice would find it awkward going out with us without Jazz. She thought of everything.

"Sure. What's another addition to our already large dinner party? Where would you like to go?"

"How about just to Café Latte, after work? That is, if everyone is free." Bella glanced meaningfully at the camera.

"I'll check with Edward first. I'll let you know after speaking to him."

"Okay, sure. See you later."

Carlisle walked her to the door, holding it open for her to walk out of the office. Tanya glared at Bella once the door closed.

"What was all that about?"She asked Bella in a rude manner.

"It's none of your business." Bella replied without hesitating.

"Just an assistant, and this is how she works. Let's see what happens when he finds a nice replacement." Tanya snickered.

"I'm going to ignore what you said because you are just out to try to get information out of me. Have a good day." Bella gave Tanya a sweet smile and waved at her as she walked off into the elevator, leaving her to fume.

Rosalie chuckled.

"I've got to hand it to that girl—she's got a nice backbone."

"That she does." I couldn't help beaming with pride at how my girl handled the situation. For a moment, Rosalie looked at me like some thought flittered across her mind…but she quickly changed her expression. Hopefully my adoration for Bella didn't show through.

I put the hand I had on Alice's shoulder around her, pulling her to me and giving her a huge smile, hoping to distract Rosalie a bit. Jasper loosened the hand he had around her, realising it gave rise to suspicion. Rosalie didn't seem to make much of it.

"So for now… Bella doesn't know that man just lied through his teeth promising her that he would not interfere in her life anymore. Are you planning to keep it that way, Mr. Cullen?

"What do you think we should do? I don't want Carlisle to become vindictive towards Alice or Bella, so I think we should just let him mend his bridges, and hopefully, he'll get over his infatuation with her."

I sighed. It really did look like Carlisle had a thing for Bella. He never opened up like that about his private life to anyone—especially not about my mother. She was the one thing he treasured above everything else. Even memories of her were precious to him.

"I hope you can keep a secret, Alice." Rosalie turned towards the pixie. I could tell Alice was not impressed with Rosalie's intimidating manner and the implication that she can't keep a secret._ Oh, if she only knew the amount of secrets Alice had to keep!_ I chuckled to myself.

"Don't blame me if you try to follow us everywhere and she catches you in the act and shoots you," she huffed.

"Bella's got a gun?" Emmett asked incredulously just as I was going to ask the same question.

"Didn't you know? She's a cop's daughter. Of course she has a gun. She carries it around in her purse. Charlie, her father, wouldn't hear of her moving to the city without it."

This was news to me. An errant thought of the Italian mob and the industrial espionage story flittered across my mind, but I just dismissed it.

**A/N: I'm having a lovely holiday thank you very much for all your lovely wishes. And I loved all the reviews I got for the last chapter. Thank you very much Twimarti and Dazzleglo for helping me out. So what do you think about Bella having a gun? And what about Carlisle baring his heart to Bella? Please do let me know your thoughts. **


	13. Chapter 13 Project Rosalie

**Chapter 13 **

**Project Rosalie **

**Bella's POV**

As I walked into the office building on Friday morning, I had a smile on my face. I kept thinking about Edward in his little pumpkin suit. He was too adorable for words and after speaking with Carlisle I realised he did care about Edward in his own way. It was obvious that losing his wife, as well as most of his worldly possessions had made him the hard, cynical man he was today. He really had gone through hell.

I stepped off the elevator and walked to my desk. I didn't even get to put my purse away before Angela came over with a document. It was one that Rosalie was supposed to have done.

"Why are you doing Rosalie's work?"

"She hands everything over to me; I thought I was supposed to do the documents." _So much for my good morning!_

"Oh no, she's my assistant and you are Edward's. You are not supposed to do any of the work I assign Rosalie. She can, of course, ask you questions, but that's it."

I was fuming inside. So this was how Rosalie had been getting her work done. I had actually been impressed since she managed to do all the work that Edward and I deliberately piled onto her hoping she'd have to work late. Instead poor Angela had been working her butt off.

"I'll take care of this. Don't take any more work from Rosalie. I know you have loads to do being the CEO's executive assistant. I'm very sorry that we didn't know this was happening. Rosalie was actually supposed to relieve you of some of the day-to-day legal work that Edward usually does. That's why I was transferred here. I can assure you that this won't happen again."

After Angela left I called Rosalie who was actually running late today. _What a surprise._

"Hello," Rosalie's breathless voice came over the phone.

"Hey Rosalie, I need to speak to you about something important. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to the office. I just stopped at the café to grab something. Sorry I'm running a bit late today." I bet you are. I'd deliberately left my car at a club house and had Jazz drive me and Alice home early. I'd just picked up the car and got in early as a result.

"Oh, okay. Listen, I've got to be at a meeting soon. So I'll just tell you why I called since there's been a misunderstanding. Why is Angela doing all your work? I mean all the documentation?"

"I don't know how to use all the legal formatting and stuff on Microsoft Word."

"Oh, I thought you had experience in that area and that's why Carlisle hired you."

"I'm willing to learn. I really love this job." _Oh, she's willing to learn is she? Well let me teach her then. _

"I'll call you right back. I've got to make an urgent call." I kept the phone down and quickly dialled Alice.

"Listen Alice, I've found the perfect way to get rid of Rosalie for a few hours every weekend so that Edward and I can spend some time together without worrying about her."

"What did you come up with, genius?"

Alice's tinkling laughter came through the line. I could hear the dishes in the background she must be at the Café Latte as usual. I'd have to grab something from the office cafeteria today as I came in early and managed to park very near to our office. I hadn't bothered to go to the café.

"I want you to set up some computer skill training classes for Rosalie. Try to make it around 6:00PM to 8.00PM at night, which will most probably be the time I'd want to go out to dinner with Edward this Saturday."

"You are brilliant! Sure thing, girl. I'll set it up."

As promised, I got an e-mail just a few minutes later confirming Rosalie's classes. I forwarded it to her and went to the office cafeteria. Thank God for modern technology and e-mail through phones. Not even five minutes later my phone rang.

"Ah, Bella, why have you scheduled classes for me on Saturday's and Wednesday evenings?"

"How else are you going to learn?"

"I thought Angela could teach me."

"She's got enough work as it is. And you should have come to me instead of heaping her with your work if you didn't know how to do it. She's a CEO's executive assistant, she has a lot of other work to get done and should not have had to deal with menial things. We are supposed to ease her job not burden her with more."

"I…err guess so." Well, I was sure she didn't have any excuse now to not attend the classes.

"In fact, I think I should ask her whether you could take on some of her work. I should have thought of this before. After all that is what we are both supposed to be doing, easing Edward's and Angela's workload." This was another way to keep our she-devil as Em calls her, busy. This was one time I agreed with him. She really had been nicely getting her work done through Angela so that she could have more free time to spy on me.

"I…well…I…"Rosalie was stammering. I didn't wait for her to complete her sentence.

"Okay then. I've already confirmed the classes for you. I'll talk to the course coordinator and check your progress. If you seem to need additional help, I'll schedule some more classes." Like 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I smiled.

"Err…thank you." I could hear the hesitation before her thank you.

"Oh, before I forget, Edward said something about wanting your feedback on some documents he handed you yesterday." That should seal the deal.

"Yes…yes of course."

I could almost hear the groan in Rosalie's voice, serves you right for following me around all night. She should know by now that I'm not a criminal. I had thought that once she knew that Carlisle was being unreasonable about my supposed relationship with Alice she'd ease up on the spying. But my hopes were in vain. Edward had handed over the company's business partners' files to her yesterday afternoon asking her to check for any potential suspects. She'd taken them from him saying she'd go through them, but instead just followed me out as usual. Edward and I had hoped to meet at the bar with Alice and Jazz to have some drinks, but we'd had to scrap that plan. So I'd just ended up going there with Alice and we'd sneaked out through the backdoor where Jazz had picked us up.

**Edward's POV**

We were all supposed to be going out to Café Latte tonight for dinner. The others had accepted Carlisle's invitation. My father had been a bit vague about the reason for the dinner.

"So I finally get to go out to dinner with you." I smiled at Bella when she walked into my office later in the day.

"Yes," she smiled back, "with a whole load of people for company."

As always Bella had a witty comeback. She was dressed in a tight black dress today and looked sexy as hell. I was having a really hard time keeping my hands to myself. I leaned in toward her trying to steal a kiss just as the door opened and Jazz walked in.

"Urrgh…seriously, you two…get a room."

"Sure." I quickly picked Bella up caveman style and started walking toward the office bedroom.

"Put me down you idiot! What do you think you are doing?" Bella screamed at me hitting me on my back to Jazz's amusement.

"Jazz told us to get a room. So I'm just taking you to mine." I explained pushing the door closed with my foot.

"Edward, you are going to get us caught."

"So what?"

"So what? So what? Your father will have a field day with it, not to mention Rosalie." I chuckled. I would give anything to see Rosalie's face when she finds out about us.

"I'm thinking of telling both of them. I really don't like this sneaking around. At first it was fun, like the night when I got to slip thought the doorway that connected Alice and Jazz's apartments, but now it's painful that I can't be with you the way I want to. I want the whole world to know that you are my girl, Bella." I slowly lowered her to the ground but still held her closely. Her eyes met mine. I saw the same need reflected in their chocolate depths.

"I know, Edward, I want that as well, but I think we should wait." I sighed. She was right of course. There was a whole lot going on here that we didn't know much about.

"Hey, you two come out. We've got Eric Yorkie coming in any minute now." I groaned. He's the last person I needed to see right now.

"Okay, we'll be out in a minute." I pulled Bella to me for a kiss.

"So beautiful…all mine…" I whispered into her ear, and felt her shiver. I badly wanted her. I'll be able to have her tomorrow. I couldn't wait. Bella ran her hands through my hair pulling me down for another kiss. I pushed her against the door and leaned down to claim those sweet lips again. She eagerly kissed me back. I could feel Bella's pebbled nipples under my fingers. She sighed pushing herself against me. I reached behind to unzip her dress. Her back was smooth as silk. I remembered the feel of her naked body against mine from the one time I got to make love to her. I couldn't wait to feel that again. I was just easing the dress lower when the intercom buzzed.

"Guys! The she-devil is on her way here. Don't forget Bella asked her to join in." I groaned. With all this cock-blocking I was seriously considering tossing away all our electronics, kidnapping Bella and heading to the nearest deserted island so that no one could locate us.

"Guess my plan backfired on us this time." A rueful smile graced her rosy lips.

Bella had come up with this brilliant plan to get rid of Rosalie for a few hours every week. Now we had to pile her up with more work, hoping she'd need more training. I chuckled.

"Guess it did, sweetheart." I tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She looked bright eyed and thoroughly fu*ked. Shit! Wonder what I looked like.

"Edward, I think you need to…" I could tell she had the same idea as she tried to tame my hair.

"Bella, I never could comb it into submission." She laughed.

"I'll just freshen up a bit." Bella turned to walk toward the washroom.

"Oh! Bella, you might want to make sure you have your…unmentionables on."

"Edward!" Bella blushed a bright shade of red, just like her unmentionables, which I should mention are still in my possession. I laughed out loud. God, I'll never get tired of seeing her beautiful blush.

**A/N: I had a very hectic time last week so was unable to update. I'm so sorry about that. Now I'm back from my holidays and hope to keep up my usual schedule. Thank you for all the lovely reviews I received for the last chapter. I still didn't get the time to reply but I truly loved reading through them on my phone. Thank you Dazzleglo and Twimarti for everything.**


	14. Chapter 14 The Snooper

**Chapter 14 **

**The Snooper**

**EPOV**

It was nearly six when we were finally able to conclude our business with Mr. Yorkie. One could consider him a shrewd intellect, but Rosalie called him a womanizer.

"What the hell, Rosalie? How could you call a bespectacled man in his late forties, focused entirely on getting our prices down, a womanizer?" asked Jazz.

"Oh, you men! You're all the same. Didn't any one of you notice how he kept staring at my bust and then Bella's every chance he got?"

I stared at her, speechless. When had Yorkie had the time to do that?

"It's true, you know. He made me pretty uncomfortable," Bella chimed in. I looked at her in surprise. Shit. _Why had I not noticed this before? Was I not in the same room as them?_

"He tried to peek under my skirt when he dropped his papers." Bella blushed. I was furious with the man by now, and also at myself for being so oblivious. I had thought he looked respectable and harmless.

"Let me tell you— the ones who look the most harmless are the ones that have the most perverted thoughts." Rosalie looked pointedly at me. _Oh! For heaven's sake!_

"You think Edward is perverted?" Trust Bella to come right to the point. I could tell she was angry by the withering look that she gave Rosalie. I groaned. I sincerely hoped the panty incident did not reach Bella's ears.

"I know so." Rosalie gave me a smug smile.

"How?" Bella asked innocently, but I could see her hands knotted tightly on her lap. She wasn't looking at me.

"While you were confronting Carlisle in his office, his son was with us watching the drama, and guess what he pulled out of his pocket?" Rosalie paused for maximum effect, and Bella's eyes grew huge. She quickly glanced at me and then back at Rosalie, shaking her head no that she didn't know. However, her blush told me she knew exactly what was in my pocket.

"A pair of red ladie's panties, so there… Who in their right mind would carry something like that in their pocket if they didn't intend to spend the whole day sniffing on said garment until they can get back to their lady friend?" Rosalie gave me a knowing glance.

"Well, that's quite debatable, you know. Do you think I'm perverted?" Bella asked. I didn't like the unholy gleam that lit up Bella's eyes. She was up to something.

"No, of course not." Rosalie laughed and dismissed the idea in a flash.

"Well, I carry a pair of Alice's panties wherever I go. Does that make me perverted too?" Bella asked, pulling out a pair of black lace panties from her handbag. Jasper gasped, and I burst out laughing. I knew exactly why she carried around an extra pair of panties, but the look on Rosalie's face was priceless.

"Oh…that…I mean…oh my God, Bella." The she-devil was stammering, and I'd never seen Rosalie blush like that. It only made me laugh harder, and this time, Jasper joined me. He had obviously figured out why Bella had an extra set with her as well.

"Quiet, you two." Bella glared at me and then at Jazz. He looked apologetically at her.

"So, Rosalie, tell me—do you think I'm perverted too, for carrying this around?" Bella asked again, with more determination. I admired her courage; she was standing up to the she-devil to protect me, when I had been the one to start this whole thing by stealing her panties in the first place. It only made me love her even more.

_Oh shit!_ I really did love Bella. To my amazement, the discovery didn't make me uncomfortable. I had thought that giving my heart to someone would make me feel as if I was under someone else's control. But, now, I felt as if my life had new meaning. I hoped and prayed that someday she would return my feelings. I focused on the conversation again. I didn't want to miss even a little bit of it.

"No, of course not, Bella. I'm sorry for implying it." Rosalie blushed again and looked apologetic.

"Well, then don't judge people just because they happen to carry a part of the people they care about with them, although even I must admit that the said items are a bit…er…unconventional…" She glanced at me under her eye lashes and winked. Shit! I instantly got a huge hard-on. This woman was driving me crazy. She had said people they cared about— did she care about me that way?

"I'm sorry, Bella." And then, to my surprise, Rosalie glanced at me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen." I couldn't believe she was apologising to me. She really did look a bit remorseful, so I decided to take her apology at face value.

"It's fine." I smiled at her.

"Well, then that's settled. We'd better get ready for dinner tonight. I'm going to rush home for a quick change," Jazz said as Alice and Jazz lived close by to the office.

"I'll err… go see some of those files you gave me, Mr. Cullen," Rosalie stated as she got up.

"Mr. McCarty wanted to see you."

"Oh, then I'll head that way. I'll see you at dinner," she mumbled to no one in particular and rushed out. As soon as the door closed, Bella burst out laughing and I joined her.

"I take it that you two will change here at the office?" Jazz asked as he walked to the door, shaking his head and trying very hard to control his laughter.

"Yes," I answered while Bella simply nodded her head.

After the door closed, Bella got up.

"I'll go change in the ladies' room, Edward. See you in a little while."

"Hey, you could use the bathroom here." Bella raised her eyebrows at me.

"Oh, do I take it that we are going to conserve water? In your dreams, Cullen." She started to walk towards the door.

"Wait, Bella. You can have the room to yourself. I'll take a wash after you. And I promise to keep my hands to myself." I gave her my most innocent and winning grin.

"You promise?" She hesitated.

"Yes, I do." I smiled.

"Okay, fine. I'm locking the door and no peeking, Edward."

"Agreed." I gave her my hand, and she turned to me in surprise, but shook it anyway.

"Well, then, I'll head in there." Bella went back to her desk and came in with a small bag. I opened the room door for her and walked into the room with her, carrying my laptop. I lay back on the bed with my laptop, ready to go through some files. It was difficult to ignore the sounds coming from the bathroom. I could just imagine what she was doing now. Was she naked yet?

Just before the shower turned on, I heard a knock on the outer door of the office. I switched on the security cameras on my laptop, wondering who would want me at this time. It was after office hours, and almost everyone would have left by now. I saw Tanya walk into my office carrying a document folder. She looked around, and then she must have heard the sound of the shower turning on because she started walking towards my bedroom.

I decided it was best if I hid because it was obvious she thought I was in the shower, and I didn't want her to find Bella here either with me in the room. I rolled under the bed just as the knob turned and the door to my bedroom opened. I quickly texted Bella, asking her not to open the bathroom door because Tanya was in the bedroom. I remembered at the last minute to switch my phone to silent mode. I watched in my laptop screen as Tanya silently walked to the bathroom door to check whether someone was in there. Bella was still in the shower, so it was obvious she heard plenty of noise in there. I expected her to walk back out the door, but to my surprise, she walked to the closet and pulled it open, going through all the drawers. What the hell? Then she carefully put everything back and moved to check the bedside drawers. What was she looking for? She didn't have any need to come snooping in my private room. I was sure she had never been in here. The shower stopped, and Tanya rushed out of the room. Bella must have finished. In a little while, I saw a new text.

"Oh God! Don't let her see you. Come in here and hide if you need to." I chuckled. I sure would like that. I came out of my hiding place and went and knocked on the bathroom door which immediately opened, pulling me inside.

"What…?" I held up my hand to indicate that Tanya was still there. Unfortunately for me, Bella was already fully dressed.

We both watched Tanya moving around the office. She went through my desk drawers, then tried to open the filing cabinets, which were, of course, locked. She kicked one of the cabinets in frustration. Then her eyes surveyed the room once again. This time, she went around lifting and looking under wall pictures. I gasped. She was looking for the safe! How did she even know that we had one in my office? Guess everyone did, and it was usually under a picture frame. I groaned as she lifted the right picture and lowered it to the floor. We really should have come up with a more original hiding place. Bella looked at me with eyes wide like saucers.

"Shouldn't we stop her?"

"Let's wait and see what she does."

To my utter surprise, Tanya started turning the dials like a pro. It was obvious she knew the combination because the next minute, the door flung open. _Shit!_

I decided it was time to interrupt before she got out any of the confidential documents in there. God knew how many times she might have got stuff from our safes as it was. Carlisle had asked me to use his own combination as he found it difficult to remember a new one right then. He and I were the only ones who knew it. That really was a stupid thing to do. I didn't want to catch Tanya red-handed because then we would not get the chance to find who was really behind this. So I gestured to Bella and picked up my phone, pretending to talk loudly to someone. Tanya heard the phone and quickly locked the safe again, putting everything back in its place. She hadn't had the time to pull out any of the documents. I opened the bedroom door and walked out just as she finished hanging the picture.

"Ah, Tanya," I said as I put my phone away. She looked guilty as hell.

"I…I brought some documents from Carlisle."

"You should have just sent them over with Billy."

"I er…was just on my way out. Good evening, Edward."

"Good evening," I muttered absently. Now what were we going to do? As soon as the door closed, Bella rushed out to me.

"Is everything all right?"

"I don't know. God! What a mess."

"Hey, I think you'd better take that wash now. We only have half an hour more with all this drama," Bella said, putting an arm on my shoulder.

"Oh shit. I almost forgot." I rushed into the room to go to the bathroom, texting Emmett to keep an eye on Tanya.

"I'll just grab my things and go to the ladie's room." I turned to her as she walked in after me.

"You could use the bathroom mirror. I only need to shower."

"But…but…" she blushed a bright shade of red.

"It's not anything you haven't seen before anyway. Come on. Tanya might still be around…" That seemed to persuade her.

"You won't see anything, see, the glass is stained." I removed my shoes and walked into the shower cubicle. Bella turned away from me, putting her things back on the counter. I started removing my clothes, throwing them over to the clothes bin outside the cubicle. I watched Bella through the clear part of the glass which showed only above my shoulders. She was meticulously applying makeup. I started the water, walking under it. Wow, this was kind of intimate. The errant thought that I could do this with her every day if she lived with me passed through my mind.

"Do you know what she was after?" Bella studiously avoided looking in my direction, seemingly concentrating on the task of combing her hair. Her blush told me otherwise. It was obvious that she was very much aware of my state of undress.

"I don't know." I watched, fascinated, as she shook her glorious locks and pinned them up on her head.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." This made her turn to look at me, but then she blushed and quickly turned away. She must have remembered I was naked.

"Would you like to join me?" I decided to tease her.

"Not now, Edward." _Holy shit!_

"Does that mean you'd join me another time?" I saw her blush deepen as she quickly packed her things up.

"Bella…you are killing me here." I had a raging hard-on now. It really was very arousing to be naked like this, just feet apart but knowing she can't really see me, while she was fully clothed.

"Maybe…" She smiled at me then rushed out of the bathroom. The little tease… God, I wanted her so much. I decided I might as well take care of business while in the shower. I couldn't very well go out with a huge boner. So I took myself in hand and started stroking, imagining what could have happened if Bella did in fact join me in the shower. I heard my name spoken in the distance as I called out Bella's name when I came all over the stall.

"Oh, my God!" I heard Bella's voice and finally opened my eyes and met huge dark pools of chocolate staring right back at me.

"Bella…"I panted._ Shit!_ She had caught me. It was obvious she had figured out what I had been doing by the look on her face and her deep blush. I was mortified.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…I…I…" She started backing out of the bathroom.

"Bella…wait…" I chuckled in spite of my embarrassment.

"Yes?" she asked, averting her eyes and staring at the floor.

"It would have been even better than my imagination if you had really joined me in the shower." _Shit! Did I really say that out loud? And to Bella? Shit, shit, shit! _

"I would have liked that too…" a soft voice whispered, and I glanced up to meet smouldering dark orbs that told me of her desire.

"Soon, love…soon…" I said as I heard the door close softly behind her.

A/N: I've been having a hectic time these days. There is so much to do and so little time! Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews. They make me so happy always bringing a smile to my face. I love to know what you think of each and every twist and turn. I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Hope you have a lovely holiday.

Thank you, Twimarti and Dazzleglo, for helping me out with this story even with your own busy holiday schedules. It really means a lot to me.


	15. Chapter 15 Missing

**_A/N: I've had such a hectic time that I wasn't able to finish this chapter in time to send it over to my beta's. So I'm just going to post it the way it is:). Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I received. I hope you had fun during the Christmas holidays._ **

**Chapter 15**

**Missing**

**Edward's POV**

_Where the hell did I put my underwear? _

I remembered very clearly that I had plenty of underwear here in the closet drawer. I hadn't seen Tanya steal any when she looked through the closet either. I decided that I might as well quickly hand wash and dry the pair I wore to office today, after fruitlessly searching all over the place.

"Looking for something, Edward?"

"I can't find any underwear."

"Oh… really?"

The tone of voice made me glance back at her and she had a shit eating grin on her face. The minx! It was obvious who stole my underwear.

"Give them back."

"Oh…you'd better find them," she smirked at me.

I quickly rushed to the bathroom hamper, remembering my earlier decision to wash today's pair. But when I pulled through the clothing there, every pair in that hamper were also missing.

"Bella…" I decided to try another strategy.

"Yes, Edward?"

"You don't want poor little junior to get hurt do you?" I asked in a pleading voice, after all I had so much to do with the little guy. God! The things I wanted to Bella…

"Oh, he can do with some outdoor camping. He's already pitched his tent after all," she giggled hiding her face in her hands. It took me a moment to realise that I was sporting a hard on, and I was indeed pitching a tent as she called it.

"You little minx!" I pulled Bella to me crushing my lips against hers.

"God, you'll be the death of me, Bella."

Someone banged on the door outside.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Come out of there you two love birds. Carlisle's on his way up to get you."

Jazz called out and I quickly let go of Bella. She ran out of the room in a big hurry. I chuckled. I couldn't wear this shirt now. I decided on a loose dress shirt which I could wear over my trouser partially hiding my arousal. I even put a jacket on just to be on the safe side. I decided to take a work folder with me so that I can use it to cover myself if things got worse.

_God! Bella sure knew how to get back at me. _

I willed myself to go down, and finally, when I heard Carlisle calling out to me I went out to join him. I'd already called Em to update him on the latest developments.

Carlisle didn't seem to notice anything odd about me when he saw me; so hopefully, no one notices my lack of underwear. I decided Tanya's snooping was something I had to discuss with Carlisle. Things were getting too complicated.

"Carlisle, did you ask Tanya to deliver some documents to me this afternoon?" Carlisle looked at me questioningly. He knew it was unlike me to ask such a mundane question out of nowhere.

"I did give her some documents in the morning from the charity fundraiser to send to you. I remember asking her to send it through Billy as we always do." Billy was the office postman, if you could call him that.

"I had made it a point never to ask her to deliver anything to you herself since that incident." He chuckled. I knew which incident he was speaking about. A few months back I had come into my office to find Tanya clad only in her underwear spread across my sofa.

"Then what was she doing in my office today?" I asked.

"She was there?" Carlisle looked at me in horror, imagining another scenario like the one before.

"Oh, don't worry she was fully clothed this time," I chuckled derisively.

"I warned her that I'd have to let her go if she came onto you again."

"Well, apparently she had a different purpose this time. I saw her rifling through my desk drawers, my bedroom, and she even opened the safe." Carlisle gasped.

"What the hell!"

"She knew the combination to the safe. She turned the dials like a pro and had already opened the safe, when I decided it was time to put a stop to her little spy mission."

"Oh god! You know what this means don't you?" Carlisle ran an agitated hand over his now ruffled hair. He and I were the only people who knew the combination to that safe.

"Carlisle, did you…"

"I've never given her the combination to that safe. She had no need to access it. Shit all this time…" He left the sentence unfinished.

"The safe contains… the usual documents?" He turned to ask me. I know for a fact that Carlisle hadn't opened that safe in a while.

"Yes, information about potential clients and competitors."

Carlisle groaned.

"God knows how much information she already passed on. I had suspected a leak somewhere for a while now, Edward."

"What do you mean?"

"You always handled the operational part and I was mostly responsible for the new clients." I nodded.

"It seemed that whenever I was about to approach a new client someone had already grabbed them up lately."

"Oh, shit."

"I know. I should fire her ass."

"What are we going to do? Are you going to fire her?" I didn't think firing her would help, since then we would not be able to find out who her contact was.

"No."

"You want to spy on her?"

"Yes. We've got to find out who her contact is and how she got persuaded to do this. I thought the leak was from the legal department or your office."

"Was that why you transferred Bella?"

"Yes. There is a saying that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer," he chuckled humourlessly.

"I guess so. So, do you think Bella is involved as well?"

"I don't know. But now we know that Tanya is definitely involved. I'll have someone follow her."

"I've already asked Emmett to do that."

"Okay, good."

"In the meantime do you think we could have some fun with whoever is spying on us?" I asked.

He chuckled.

"Sure, why not. What do you have in mind, son?"

"How about we put some false documents in the safe?"

"Excellent. I could even draft them for you. I'll make something up and bring it to you. In the meantime we should take everything out of the safe."

"I already did."

"Good," he smiled at me. He didn't even bother to ask me where the new hiding place was.

"Don't you want to know where the documents are?"

"Remember I gave them to you? I have a copy at home. Anyway you are running everything now so I have no need to look at any new documents."

"I would still like your input."

"Of course," he smiled.

When we reached the café the others were already there. Carlisle sat at the head of the table with me at his side. He gestured Bella to sit on his other side. She winked at me as she sat. Was she happy about sitting next to my father? I was a bit jealous.

My mind was soon put to rest as to why Bella was so happy to sit next to Carlisle. She had easy access to me, or rather my crotch under the table, because she got to sit right opposite me. I groaned. This was going to be a very long dinner, one with a different type of torture. Bella's tiny foot ran up and down my leg inching closer to my hard-on. I'd barely managed to get my earlier arousal under control when she started playing footsie with me. As she finally reached the promised land and pressed against me I nearly came on the spot. This was not good.

I quickly caught her foot holding it tightly in my hands massaging the arch. I saw Bella lean back against her chair enjoying my touch. I grinned and quickly looked around hoping no one noticed. Alice who sat next to Bella gave me a look of caution and I decided not to look at Bella again. I gave my order, but my whole mind was focused on Bella's foot and what I was hoping to do with her tomorrow. I was brought out of my thoughts by a commotion.

"I ordered the Mushroom Ravioli not the Spaghetti Bolognese," Carlisle's annoyed voice rang out.

"I'm sorry, sir." The server I'd got to know as Esme stuttered. She had taken our order and I remembered her from Rosalie's video where she defended Alice. However, none of that bravery was evident now as she stood there a stammering mess. She had indeed got the order wrong. I also remembered Carlisle's order since Bella ordered the same.

"I'll have the Spaghetti, Esme, you can give this to Carlisle." Bella smiled sympathetically at Esme and it was obvious she was trying to rescue her friend from a tight spot. Bella had told me about Esme and how she was struggling to care for a sick child.

"Just a minute, Bella—why should you have to eat something you didn't order? You'd better return this and bring me the right order. I don't care if it comes out of your pay check. It's your mistake." Carlisle said dismissively. It was obvious he was being a bit extra harsh on Esme because of the incident involving Alice.

"I'm sorry sir. I'll get you the Ravioli," she turned to rush back, but unfortunately in her haste she bumped against a gravy dish on the table spilling the contents onto me.

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry sir." Esme rushed to grab a napkin, which I quickly took from her wiping part of the stain on my pants.

"It's all right. Don't worry about it." I smiled at her.

The gravy was actually seeping through to my underwear but I didn't want to get Esme into any more trouble by trying to go change my clothes. I decided I'll just grin and bear it. I knew Carlisle would make a huge fuss out of this if I did that. He had a really bad temper. Thank God she spilled the gravy on me and not him.

"What the hell is going on woman? Don't you know how to serve? I'm going to talk to your manager. This is so unacceptable. Hiring incompetent fools! You shouldn't be working here." He pushed his chair back to get up.

"Carlisle!" Bella's voice rang out just as Esme burst in tears. Holy shit! What was going on here?

"Oh, God, Esme! Please tell me what's wrong?" Bella got up from her chair in a rush, just as Alice too got to her feet. Esme fell into Bella's arms now crying inconsolably. Carlisle threw up his hands in frustration. It was obvious he was surprised at this turn of events. I saw Bella glaring at him and he meekly sat back down. She really did have a lot of influence over him, just like mom did.

"Esme, hush…hey…what's going on? You have not been yourself all evening. I was going to ask you after the meal." Bella quickly took the tissues Alice offered and started wiping Esme's face.

"Is it…is it Colin?" Alice asked fearfully. Colin must be her son. Esme nodded.

"Oh, dear, is he in hospital again?" She nodded again at Bella's question.

"What's wrong this time?" I gathered from this conversation that Colin being in hospital was nothing new.

"It's, it's his heart, Bells. He's got to have that operation immediately. They…they…said…" she couldn't complete the sentence and I knew right away that something was very wrong.

"Do you need money? I told you to tell me if you needed more help."

"You've already done so much, Bells." Esme seemed very familiar with Bella, she even had her own nickname. I didn't know that Bella and Esme were so close.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do for Colin you know that, Esme."

"Bells, you've got to save your money. You might need it someday for your treatment." Oh! My God! Was Bella ill? My whole body went into shock. How did I not know this?

"I'd much rather spend it on a real live child who has a chance at life, rather than on a dream that according to doctors is a total waste of time and money." I watched in horror as a silent tear fell down Bella's face which she quickly wiped away. I wanted desperately to hug her and comfort her, tell her I'll be there for her, that I'll do anything for her, to save her. This was a nightmare. I never knew Bella was sick. Alice put an arm around Bella's waist and Esme hugged Bella. I could tell there was a deep bond between all three women.

"Esme, we've got to get through this. How much is it for the operation? I know you told me an amount sometime back, but I'm sure they would have given you a new estimate by now."

The amount she gave was a lot of money for someone without a medical insurance. Even when you had insurance it didn't cover everything. I remembered how much Carlisle struggled with mom's medical bills.

"I've got half of that in savings. I'm sure I can try and get a loan for the apartment." It was obvious Bella would do anything to save this child.

"Bells, you can't…" Esme gasped in shock. I knew Bella earned a decent living, but even I was shocked by her generosity. It made me fall in love with her all over again. My beautiful Bella had a heart of gold.

"Like I told you before I'm supposed to be inheriting some money very soon. Mom said grandpa is very rich. So it has to be a good amount. So don't worry, it's not like I'll have anyone to give it to," Bella gave a sad self-depreciating smile. I was just about to offer to help with the payment when Carlisle's voice rang out.

"I'll pay for it." He had covered his face with his hands. I could tell he was very upset. What I didn't expect was Esme's outburst.

"Keep your filthy money to yourself. You threaten my job without a second thought about how much I depend on it, and now expect to play the good guy. No, Mr. Cullen, I don't want to be your charity case." There was a proud tilt to her head, and it was an odd moment for me to realise that Esme was a really beautiful woman. But life had dealt her a hard blow and it showed in the pain that shadowed her face.

"Esme, we need the money. I don't have enough to cover the rest," Alice piped in, stealing a glance at Jasper. So he knew about this too. I wish I'd known earlier.

"Esme, I can give you the money," I spoke out.

"I don't want anything to do with that man," she said pointing at Carlisle.

"It's not his money, it's mine. I've worked for it. If you feel uncomfortable accepting it, think of it as a loan of sorts. You can pay me back one day." I could tell Esme was a proud woman and wouldn't take it any other way.

A grateful smile spread across her face and I knew I'd said the right thing.

"Thank you, oh thank you so much." To my surprise Esme rushed to me and hugged me. She seemed as shocked as I was when she realised what she had done.

"Don't mention it." I smiled back at her.

"Thank you so much, Edward." I felt my heart swelling at Bella's words.

"I…I…need to get to the hospital," Esme stammered.

"Let's go, Esme. I gather you need to ask them to go ahead with the operation as soon as you can right?" Bella asked.

"What about dinner?" Esme asked but she had already turned towards the kitchen, where I assumed her boss was.

"We can grab something at the hospital. Let's go. I'm sorry about the dinner, Carlisle." Bella looked at Carlisle who still had his hands covering his face. I saw him nod his head. He didn't look up. He must be very upset with himself.

"Wait, I'll come with you." I called out to Bella.

"I'll cover your shift, and then come over." Alice looked around at the busy restaurant.

"I'll cover it. You go." I was surprised to hear Rosalie's voice. I'd forgotten that they were even there.

"Jazz, are you coming?" I asked Jazz knowing he'd want to go with Alice.

"Sure."

"I'll stay back, I need to do some work," Em gave me a meaningful look and I remembered Tanya and everything else that was going on. I'll have to tell Em about what Carlisle said. There was so much going on, but right now I only saw Esme's and Bella's desperation to save the life of a child. My other troubles melted away in the face of their pain. I already knew the pain of losing someone I loved, I was going to do everything I could to save this unknown, but much loved, child.

**A/N: So what do you think of what Carlisle said? Do you think he's telling the truth? Did you like the way Bella got back at Edward for stealing her panties? What do you think is wrong with Bella? **


	16. Chapter 16 Heavy in my heart

**Chapter 16 **

**Heavy in My Heart**

**Edward's POV**

"Oh, Mrs. Platt, I see you've brought company to plead your case, but no amount of pleading will get you out of paying the hospital bills you owe." A young woman behind the counter in a receptionist's uniform in the small nursing home informed Esme with a snicker as soon as we approached. She continued before Esme had time to open her mouth, and I stood frozen to the spot at her next words.

"Although, I must say he's some eye-candy." She practically moaned as she eyed me from top to bottom. I actually felt kind of violated by her penetrating stare, if that was even possible. It was obvious she was imagining me naked and lord knows what else. I was shocked and disturbed.

"I'm not here to beg. I'm here to pay my bill." Esme's shaky voice rang out.

"I must admire your perseverance, Mrs. Platt." I looked at the name tag of this vile woman; it read Heidi.

"Please, could you quickly process the bill so that I can discharge him? I need to get him to another hospital so that he can get the treatment he needs," Esme asked once more, but this time looking very embarrassed.

I looked around. The small medical facility looked nondescript and a bit run down. It was in a shady part of town. If Esme couldn't even afford to pay the bill for this place, how was she ever going to afford the operation at a real hospital? Esme had rushed in to check on her son as soon as we arrived while I went to park the car. She had met me at the door, informing me that Colin was fast asleep, that Alice was with him and she didn't want to wake him till we got everything ready. Bella had gone with Jasper to the General Hospital to arrange for an ambulance to take Colin there, while I drove Esme to the small nursing home. We hadn't wanted Carlisle or Rosalie to see Bella and me travelling together.

"What's the hurry? So what's your name, honey?" Heidi turned and fluttered her obviously fake eye lashes at me. I was repulsed by the behaviour of this woman.

"How much is the bill?" I asked, pulling out my wallet. I wanted to pay and get out of there as quickly as possible.

"I'll pay." All of us turned towards the door and Carlisle stood there with a grim look on his face.

"Well, well…what have we here? Another hunk? You sure know how to pick 'em. Both offering to pay your bills, I presume, for services rendered?" Heidi said in a huskier voice which I realised was meant to sound seductive. This woman really was a piece of work. For a moment, I saw a flash of anger mar Carlisle's face as Esme cringed at the woman's crude words.

"I did no such thing. Kindly mind your business and let him pay." This time, there was fire in Esme's look as she gestured to me to make the payment.

"I said I'll pay." Carlisle strode forward.

"What part of 'I don't want your money' did you not understand?" Esme's anger was now directed at Carlisle.

"My, my… fighting over the bill now, are we? Well, let the old man pay—he's obviously got more dough, and he's more your age. You should leave the other one to me." I heard a sound, turned toward it, and was shocked to see a furious Alice standing there with her hands on her hips. She had banged against the reception counter with a paper weight.

"Get the lady her bill," she said through gritted teeth.

"Damn it, woman! Get me the bill." Carlisle's angry voice rang out, when Heidi stood there, for once looking like she was out of her element staring at the pixie.

"And I don't want you to pay." Esme glared at Carlisle.

Carlisle turned towards me with a sigh. "Edward, you'd better pay then." He looked towards Esme, who turned away from him with a huff.

"Is there a problem here?" An elderly gentleman, barely able to move walked in through another hallway.

"Mr. Wendell, I'd like to settle the bill." Esme smiled at the man who went behind the counter. Without a word, Heidi quickly started processing the bill. The old man handed over the bill as soon as she had it ready.

"There you go, dear, I hope the little one gets better soon." He looked like a kind gentleman, unlike his very rude employee. I wondered whether he even knew what was going on in his hospital.

"Thank you so much for letting Colin stay on even when I was not able to pay the bills." It was obvious the old man had been a great help to Esme.

"I love that boy like a grandson, Esme. And this place is like a second home to him." He smiled at her.

"Who owns this place?" I turned as I heard Carlisle speak again. I knew that tone of voice. He was up to something.

"I do sir," the older gentleman answered turning to him.

"Are you interested in selling?" At this, Mr. Wendell sighed.

"Who would want to buy this place? It's losing money. I'm about to file for bankruptcy."

"I'll take it. How much?" Mr. Wendell spluttered and then gave a rough amount.

"…but it's losing money…not a…" he continued but Carlisle interrupted him.

"There are things that can be done to turn this place around, maybe get the place a bit up to date. I'll buy it." I met Carlisle's eyes when he said it. There was an unholy gleam in them, and I understood what he wanted to do, and just this once I agreed with him. It was not at all a sound decision to buy a business such as this one, which was obviously a lousy investment, but I understood the reasoning and motivation behind it.

"Thank you, sir. And your name is?"

"Cullen, Carlisle Cullen." Heidi bumped into a chair as she looked at Carlisle in horror. It was obvious she knew his name. The old man seemed to be at a loss for words; it was evident that he too knew who Carlisle was.

"I'll have the papers ready tomorrow morning for you to sign. Here is an advance to confirm my offer." Carlisle pulled out a check book and wrote a cheque, handing it over to a still speechless Wendell.

"Could you do me a favour, sir?" Carlisle stared right at Heidi.

"Of…of course, Mr. Cullen. A…any..anything you want," the old man stuttered in his eagerness to please Carlisle.

"Fire this young lady here. She's bad for business." With that, he abruptly turned and walked towards the door, leaving all of the others speechless. I had expected this the moment Carlisle made his offer. I knew him so well when it came to business deals. I heard myself chuckle, but my laughter abruptly died when I remembered the recent events. Did I really know the real man behind the business façade?

It was nearly 2:00 a.m. in the morning when we sat in the waiting room to wait till Colin's operation was over. During his transfer to the hospital, Colin had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and the doctors decided to put him on life support and operate immediately. None of us had realised how precarious the child's situation had been. I was so thankful that we had that horrid dinner last night. If not for it, the treatment would have been delayed and God knows what would have happened to Colin had he been left in that godforsaken place. Carlisle had not turned up at the hospital but had called me to let me know that I could use the charity fund from Cullen Enterprises. He also wanted me to spare no expense to save the child's life. I had changed into a pair of scrubs the hospital had given me at the request of Dr. Eleazar, who is Colin's doctor. It turned out that he knew Carlisle. My father had called him in the middle of the night asking him for his help. Carlisle truly was an enigma. In this instance, when it came to Colin's life, I was sure he cared. I think it was because of my mother. He had been so worried when he heard about Colin's brain tumour. It must have reminded him of mom. Esme was in another hospital bed after fainting when she heard about her son's condition. They had given her tranquilizers and admitted her to the hospital. I can't even imagine what she is going through, but I'm glad we're here for her.

I was sitting with Jasper while Bella sat across from me with Alice, but she kept staring at me. It was so hard to sit here and not hold her in my arms so that I could not only comfort myself but her as well. But I was scared since someone might see us. Rosalie or Carlisle might come visiting any minute. Suddenly, Bella whispered something to Alice, and got up from her seat and came to me.

"Shall we get some coffee, Edward?" There was a mischievous grin on her face, and I knew she wanted to most probably steal a kiss from me, so I followed her out of the room. I heard Alice giggle as we left.

We had not even reached the next hallway when Bella suddenly pulled me into a doctor's lounge.

"What…?" I barely had time to react when I heard the lock click into place, and Bella pushed me against the door. Her warm lips assaulted me, and I forgot what else I was going to say. I was instantly hard. My earlier arousal had vanished in the face of the emergency, but now all the need I had suppressed came to the forefront. I wanted her so much. I pushed against her, grinding into her, letting her know my need.

"God, those scrubs…I want you so bad, Edward." Bella groaned. I couldn't help chuckling when I realised that my clothing was such a turn on for Bella.

**Bella's POV**

All night I'd been staring at Edward. God! He looked so handsome in those scrubs. McDreamy didn't stand a chance against McCullen! He was so hot! I just couldn't resist him anymore. I didn't want to either. I was going to lose him anyway, so I didn't want to waste any more time. With the things that had been going on, I was sure Edward hadn't really had time to process what he had heard earlier in the evening. I was infertile. No man in his right mind would ever want to pursue a serious relationship with me or want to marry me. I had known this since that fateful morning after my third operation. I could still remember the grim look on Dr. Gerandy's face as he gave me the news. My chances were slim without extensive medical intervention. I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present.

I had avoided relationships like the plague since that day. It was the reason why I had remained a virgin all through college, when everyone else had lost theirs. I had resigned myself to my fate. I didn't want to get my heart broken. But I'd already lost my heart to Edward. I was going to lose him and get hurt in the process, most probably within the next few hours. Edward hadn't really cancelled our date tonight, but neither had he mentioned it again. He hadn't even sat next to me in the waiting room. I knew I only had a very limited amount of time with him. I pushed him on his back onto the small narrow bunk bed we'd bumped into.

"God, I want you, Bella." Edward pulled me down on him, kissing me, and I once again felt him push his hardness against me. He wanted this as well. I knew in that moment that I had to have Edward again. I didn't even care if we got caught. I just wanted Edward.

Tonight I was going devour him. One last time, I was going to make him mine before he walked away from me forever. I wanted to make some more precious memories with him, to remember and cherish when he was no longer with me. They will have to be enough to get me through the lonely years ahead. I had planned to tell Edward about my infertility issues and all of the reasons why I can't be his before we got in too deep. It had only been such a short time since I had met him and so much had happened since then. I never thought I would run out of time like this or that I would fall so desperately in love with him so quickly.

I couldn't see anything because it was pitch dark inside. I hadn't bothered to find a light switch, knowing that it was better this way. No one would hopefully come to check on this room if it looked unoccupied, and Edward would not see the desolation and desperation on my face in the darkness.

"I want you too, Edward." Even though I couldn't see, I could feel. I ran my hands through his soft, silky hair, committing the feel of it to my memory. Will I remember the colour? It was so unusual…I felt my heart clench at the simple thought that I might forget its colour. I wondered whether I should dare to steal a lock as a keepsake. Edward moaned as I pulled at his hair, massaging his scalp. His kisses were making me breathless. I raised myself up, pulling away from his demanding lips, and settled more firmly against his cock, which elicited another moan from him. I wanted to touch his face, and I couldn't do that while he kissed me. My legs were straddling him and my core was just where it wanted to be, right against his now rock-hard erection. Edward continued to push up and rubbed against me as he let me explore him.

I reached down, with my now trembling hand and lovingly caressed the chiselled lines of his face. Then I traced the line of his straight nose with my fingertips. When I ran them across his soft lips he sucked in my thumb and gently bit on it. I pulled back, startled.

I wanted to feel more of him. I nibbled on his neck, and when I reached the barrier of the top of his scrubs, I pulled at it. Edward got the hint and sat up to remove it. He lay down again and my hands continued with their exploration, running through the light dusting of hair on his chest and tracing his hard nipples with my fingertip. I leaned down and bit one of his nipples, eliciting another moan from him. "Oh, shit, Bella…mmm…do that again." So I did it to his other nipple. I wondered whether his were as sensitive as mine. From the way his body tensed and his breath stuttered every time I licked them, I was sure he really liked it.

I ran my free hand down his happy trail ending at the waist of his scrub bottoms. I dared to grip him through the fabric causing Edward to shudder. I knew he was not wearing any underwear since I had effectively stolen every pair. This made it even easier to really feel him through the thin fabric. He was so hard. It was already wet with me rubbing against him. And maybe his…shit…he was leaking. There was a distinct patch of wetness against his tip. It drove me crazy to know that I had done this to him. With a boldness I didn't even know I possessed, I released the drawstring and pulled the pants of his scrubs down, curling my hand around his shaft. Oh! God, he was so hot and silky, not to mention wet. I wished at that moment that I had actually put the light on. Now I wouldn't ever know what he looked like naked. I felt the tears burn my eyes as I valiantly tried to control my emotions. I had to feel him…one last time…I kept repeating it to myself so that I could get over my own insecurity and embarrassment at what I was about to do. I took a deep breath, and I pulled my panties aside, rubbing my naked core against him. Edward groaned. It was pure heaven to feel him like this.

"Bella, love, I…I don't have protection. It's in my jeans pocket." Edward's voice sounded breathless. I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of me in spite of the tears that now freely fell down my cheeks.

"As if you could ever get me pregnant, Edward. I trust you to be clean. Just…I want you…I want you so much." My voice broke at the end, and I quickly wiped my tears before Edward felt them.

"Oh! Bella…yes, love…" That's all the encouragement I needed to slowly lower myself onto his hardness. I rubbed the leaking tip against my swollen flesh, and it felt incredible. For a moment, I just let myself enjoy the sheer joy of being with him like this, skin to skin with nothing separating us.

"Bella, my God!...yes…just like that…" Edward slowly pushed into me and it felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but when I moved a bit, it felt much better. I felt more tears sting my eyes as I realised that this might very well be the last time I would have him in me like this, connected so intimately. Edward guided me with his hands on my hips, helping me move up and down. It was awkward at first since I had no idea how to do this being on top.

"Yes…my beautiful girl…so wet…" Edward moaned again. This time, I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes. I openly sobbed.

"Yes…sweetheart….yes…" It was obvious Edward thought I was making sounds of desire, but I was crying my heart out. I quickened my pace, knowing he liked it.

"It's too much, love…I'm going to come…I'm so sorry…I…" The next moment, I felt a flood of warmth as Edward exploded inside me. I was nowhere close to coming.

Just then, a small knock sounded on the door.

"Bella, are you in there? Come out quick. Rosalie just came," Alice's voice whispered at the door.

I was going to cherish every last moment I had with him, but sadly, fate just cut my precious time with him. I had lived in a dream of my making, pretending that everything was going to be all right and I would have my happily ever after with him. If I had the choice Edward would have been the man I would have chosen to spend the rest of my life with. Reality had intruded and reminded me that I could never be his in the worst possible way. Life truly was cruel. It was with a heavy heart that I called out to Alice that I was coming out.

I very reluctantly moved myself off Edward. Shit! I didn't have any tissues. Edward handed something over to me, and I gratefully took the box of tissues he offered and cleaned up. He suddenly pulled me to him and kissed me. I kissed him back with everything I had in me. I tried to pour all the love I felt for him into that single kiss, hoping that he would remember it and look back at me as a fond memory. I knew the exact moment he felt the wetness on my cheeks. Edward's whole body tensed under me, and he drew in a sharp breath.

"You're crying…" I heard the disbelief in his voice as he pulled me back to him, kissing away my tears with a sudden urgency that I couldn't understand.

"Bella, oh, my God! I'm so sorry…I…we need to talk…" The words I'd been dreading to hear all evening spilled out of Edward's mouth, and my whole world just came crashing down around me. I just had the presence of mind to push him away and get off the bed before I completely broke down.

"Bella…" I heard Edward call as I blindly rushed out the door with new tears streaming down my face. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. There were so many reasons I couldn't have Edward and this was the biggest one. Even if I overcame the rest, I couldn't give him the family he deserves. I knew this was the end…it was over…I had loved…and…lost…

**A/N: Wish you all a very happy new year! May this be the year that all your dreams come true! I'm trying to make mine come true this year. They say that there is nothing like trying so I'm going to give it my best shot. Did you make any new year resolutions? Mine is to stop worrying and live my life and be grateful for what I have. **

**Thank you very much for the lovely reviews. So what do you think of Carlisle's behaviour in this chapter? What about how Bella is reacting to all this? And Edward? **

**A big thank you goes out to Twimarti and Dazzlglo:). Even with all the festivities, they still took the time to go through this chapter. **


	17. Chapter 17 Betrayal

**Chapter 17**

**The Betrayal **

**Edward's POV**

I had made Bella cry…I was so angry at myself for what just happened. I had just taken her like a maniac. It must have hurt her a lot for her to cry like that. I was so worried that I may have injured her in some way. I had been so engrossed in my own pleasure that I had not even realised that she was in so much of pain.

_What a selfish bastard!_

I couldn't begin to apologise to her for what I did. I swiftly dressed and rushed after Bella, but then I saw Rosalie talking with Alice who was now hugging Bella tightly to her side. She was still crying. I quickly held up the office file I had with me, to cover my face, and turned the other way towards the wards. I was in scrubs, so I hoped she would think I was a hospital worker. Rosalie had briefly turned my way, and for a moment there it looked like she recognised me, but then she turned back to Alice. I breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, I had kept my clothing in the car, so I decided it was best to just drive home.

When I got home, I was thinking about calling Bella to apologise but decided against it at the last minute. This was something I had to apologise for in person. I owed her that much. I called Jazz to check whether Rosalie had left but was informed that she was planning to stay till they finish the operation. I wanted to stay there with them to offer Bella my comfort, but now was not the time.

_Shit!_ _How could I have acted like such a complete idiot?_

And it was not even the first time. The first time I'd made love to Bella, I'd taken her virginity. I had held off making love to her again, hoping to do it the right way on our first official date, showing her how much I treasured her. But again, I'd screwed things up. I needed to make things right and hoped she'd give me a chance to show her the real me.

When I went to hospital early the next morning, Esme told me that Bella had stayed all night and had left in the morning to get some rest. I decided I'd wait till the afternoon and call her so that I didn't wake her up. Today was our date. I had already planned everything. I thought it would be best if I apologised to her when she got here. I had decided to cook for Bella and surprise her with a home-cooked candlelight dinner. I wanted to do something romantic for her tonight. I was planning to apologise to her and finally tell her that I loved her. I couldn't hold those words inside my heart anymore. I would also make sure to love her properly without rushing— taking my time to please my sweet angel. I decided I would go shopping for the ingredients necessary to make the fancy Italian meal that I was planning on, while waiting for the time to pass. I had just arrived home and finished making the first dish when I got an sms from Bella that made me collapse into a nearby chair.

_I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to deceive you in any way. I was only waiting for the right time to tell you. I want you to know that the time I spent with you were the happiest days of my life. I will always cherish the memories we made. But I knew this kind of happiness couldn't last forever. I understand and accept it. I hope you will still remain my friend and colleague._

_-Bella _

Oh, my God…for a moment, I couldn't breathe. I just kept reading her message again and again. It was the smell of something burning that finally brought me out of my shocked state. I quickly switched off the stove. What time was it? I looked at the clock and realised it was nearly 6.00 p.m. I was supposed to pick Bella up for our date at 7.00 p.m. I quickly dialled her number, but a recorded message informed me that the number I called could not be contacted at that time. I simply ran to my car and drove like a maniac to Bella's apartment. The lights were off. I rang the bell but there was no response. I even tried her house phone which I heard ring inside without anyone picking it up. I rushed to the parking lot and walked around looking for her truck. It was not there. Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I collapsed and felt the tears that I had managed to hold on to fall. It was some time before I managed to calm down enough to think of what I should do next.

_What the hell just happened? Why was Bella breaking up with me?_

I couldn't understand it. I may have hurt her while making love, but it was so unlike her to just break things off for that reason alone. She seemed to love being with me, and she was the one who had initiated our lovemaking. I decided to call Esme and see whether Bella was at the hospital. I was surprised to hear that she was not there, although she had come to visit in the afternoon and stayed for a while. I cursed myself for not calling Bella earlier.

_Did she think I had forgotten about the date? Was that why she was breaking things off with me?_

I called Alice next, who also had not heard from her after she left the hospital. I didn't attempt to explain things to her, since I really had no idea whether I could talk about it without another breakdown. I had not cried since my mom died. But tears were falling from my eyes now. I really hoped my voice didn't sound odd on the phone. Alice had asked whether I had a cold; guess that answered that question. I decided not to call Em or Jazz knowing they would know something was wrong the moment I asked about Bella. And it was unlikely that they knew where she was. I decided to wait until tomorrow morning and come back again. I sent Bella a message asking her to call me and that I'm sorry for hurting her. At that moment, I didn't exactly know how I had hurt her, but it didn't matter. I must have done something that really hurt her for her to react like this.

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. I had tossed and turned all night and only just fallen asleep in the pre-dawn hours.

"Ed, you've got to see this man…"

"What, Em?" I sleepily asked. It was just after eleven in the morning.

"I just came into the office today and reviewed all the security footage. There is…er, something you should see…"

"What is it?"

"I…er, think you should see it for yourself." And the idiot hung up on me. I grumbled and turned over to sleep again when I felt the tightening in my chest and my eyes burned. In a flash I was up. Oh, shit! Bella! I called Emmett back.

"Em…does this have something to do with Bella?"

"Well…err… yes."

"Is she hurt?"

"No, she's not even in the footage. Just come over, Ed. Please…" Emmett never said please; well, I couldn't remember the last time he used that word. Something was seriously wrong.

"All right—I'll come now." I showered, dressed, and got to the office in record time. When I walked into Emmett's office, he had a clip of Carlisle and another man dressed all in black paused on one of his screens.

"Ed, did you have something to eat? I'm sure I woke you up. Take a seat. I've got doughnuts, would you like some_?" What the hell was going on?_ Emmett never really bothered with small stuff like feeding me. Sure, he would gulp down his food. But asking after me was not his style, nor sharing his doughnuts. Apparently, doughnuts were not to meant to be shared.

"Em, show me the clip." I couldn't help pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I think you really should…"

"Em, the clip, please." I was annoyed.

"All right, Ed. Sit. And drink this first." He handed me a cup of coffee which I drank in a single gulp.

"Show me the damn clip, Em." Emmett sighed and sat down next to me and then pressed play.

The footage was from the carpark near the storage room where I'd first met Bella for a little alone time during office hours. I felt the burn of tears again at the memories. So many things had changed since then. I sighed.

"_You are early."_ Carlisle didn't sound very pleased with whoever it was he was meeting for coming early.

"_Of course, my friend. When you ask me to see you, I give priority to you, always."_

I knew that voice! It was Aro Volturi. What was he doing here in the states? And why is he meeting Carlisle in the carpark, instead of his office? And on a Sunday morning at 7.00 a.m. to boot? Only the security staff would be there. Then it clicked. Of course they were meeting so early because no one was there. And as far as Carlisle knew, we didn't have any security cameras in this part of the carpark. I'd only had them installed so that Emmett could keep an eye on the door leading from the carpark to the storage room where I secretly met Bella. This was indeed a secret rendezvous between Carlisle and Aro.

"_So… are congratulations in order?"_

"_No. That's why I wanted to meet you."_

"_The girl refused?"_ Aro's eyebrows went up in surprise. _"I can't believe it. To marry a man like you will be like, what do you say…aha…hitting the jackpot."_ He chuckled at his own joke.

"_I didn't ask."_

"_What? We agreed on this, Carlisle. We had a deal. You have to break her engagement to Dimitri Volturi."_

Were they talking about Bella? I gave Em a questioning look, and he looked at me in sympathy. Then it hit me. Bella was engaged! Engaged to someone else… No wonder she didn't want to have anything more to do with me; I was just a fling. I felt a piercing pain in the region of my chest. I doubled over. I couldn't think. I could only feel. The words no…no…no…were the only thing I could say. I felt a warm hand across my shoulder, patting me.

"Ed, are you all right?" I didn't want Emmett to see how upset I was.

"Just play the rest of it, Em." Without a word, he pressed play again.

"_Why?"_ Carlisle turned a questioning eye at Aro.

"_Why what?"_ Aro pretended to be confused. But even I could see what Carlisle wanted to know.

"_Why do you want to break this engagement so badly? And why do I have to marry her only after September?"_ Carlisle's shrewd, penetrating eyes landed on Aro. Why hadn't he asked this earlier before agreeing to this asinine plan?

"_You are asking for too much information, my friend. I told you before. It's important that we do this. A lot is at stake."_ There was an impatient air in Aro's answer. He clearly didn't want to answer.

"_That's it. I want to know what is at stake?"_ Carlisle looked very frustrated. I wondered why he would agree to such a deal if he didn't know what was at stake. It was so unlike him.

"_Carlisle, are you going to marry the girl or not?"_ Aro sounded angry.

"_Isabella is not interested in me." _His voice sounded dejected even to me.

"_How can you say that without even trying?" _Aro asked sceptically.

"_I did try. I took her on a date."_

"_Aha, we are getting somewhere."_ The devious smile was back on Aro's face. The man reminded me of a snake—vicious and poisonous.

"_You have to tell me what is going on. I can't just marry someone at whim."_

"_But you really do like her. You said so yourself. If she doesn't like you, then get someone else to marry her."_ Aro sounded exasperated.

"_I don't know."_ Carlisle ran a hand through his hair.

"_Think of what's at stake, my friend. It is what you've always wanted."_ The calculating gleam was back in Aro's eyes.

"_I know,"_ Carlisle sighed.

"_Well, you know what to do."_

"_I'm just not sure about this anymore."_ Carlisle sounded defeated.

"_Come now, my friend. She's a beautiful girl. I just want her to get married."_

"_So you want her to get married? It doesn't matter if it's not to me?"_ Carlisle asked with a new gleam in his eye. What was he up to? Was he now trying to marry Bella off to Alice? I would gladly marry her if he wanted Bella to get married that bad. This reminded me of the jam I was in right now. Where was Bella? Was she in Italy with her fiancée even at this very moment?

"_Of course, my friend."_ There was a cunning smile on Aro's lips. He knew he was getting what he wanted.

"_So the deal is on even if she doesn't marry me, but marries someone else?"_

"_Sure. But you have to make sure of it. I want proof that the marriage took place."_ Aro seemed more than happy with this new solution.

"_Okay. I'll see what I can do."_

I was angry. I was so f*cking angry! How could Carlisle do this to Bella? It was her future…her life, for Christ's sake, and he was making a business deal out of it. It's her life…a life she would never share with me. I felt totally drained.

Emmett leaned down trying to see my face. I buried my head in my hands, worried that he would see the tears in my eyes. Bella was never going to be mine. I had already lost her even before I met her. All this time, when I thought she belonged to me, she was someone else's fiancée. My God! I'd taken the virginity of someone else's bride-to-be. Holy f*cking shit! What the hell was she doing sleeping with me when she was about to be married to someone else?

**A/N: Thank you for the amazing response I got for the last chapter! We've got more than 360 reviews! Wow! A big thank you goes to twimarti and dazzlglo for helping me out! **

**What do you think is going on now? Do you think Bella is engaged to Dimitri? What about Carlisle and his latest secret rendezvous? **

**I've also uploaded an outtake for my story 'preparing for the wedding' (www . fanfiction **** s/8054733/32/Preparing-for-the-wedding****). Please remove the spaces or go through my profile to chapter 32. (last chapter)  
**

**It is about the **_**"Wedding present" **_**Edward gave Bella for their wedding. This outtake can be read on its own as a story without having to read the whole story. I wrote it as a donation for the 'Stories for animals' compilation an animal welfare project. Hope you enjoy! I can't wait to hear what you think of the wedding present Edward gave Bella lol! Any guesses?**


	18. Chapter 18 Deal with Italy

**Chapter 18 **

**Deal with Italy**

**Edward's POV**

"Edward, man…I know, it's a shock…it could all be a ruse…just another one of Carlisle's games or even Aro's. You know him—he's one hell of a strategist." Emmett looked as frazzled as I felt.

"I don't know. I just…I don't know what to think." He must have heard the desperation in my voice since he patted my back as if to console me.

"Hey! You have her. She's with you. Bella chose to be with you. It must be some kind of a fake engagement or something. Aro must have got it all wrong." Em's boisterous laughter rang out. Normally I would have joined him. When I didn't, he looked concerned. Unfortunately, this time, the joke was on me.

"No…I don't think so." I finally looked up.

"Man, you look terrible. Shit! What happened?" Emmett gasped when he took a closer look at my face.

"Bella and I broke up." My voice cracked.

"What?" Emmett sounded shocked.

"Or, more accurately, Bella broke up with me," I laughed out in derision.

"What the hell happened? You two were crazy about each other. In fact, I remember you couldn't keep your hands away from one another."

"That's the thing, Em. I don't know. She just sent me this cryptic sms. But now that I think about it, she must have been referring to her engagement to Dimirtri." I sighed.

"If you don't mind—can I see it?" I pulled out my phone and brought up the sms, handing it over to Em. A frown etched across his face when he read the words. I had read it so many times that now I could repeat it word for word.

_I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to deceive you in any way. I was only waiting for the right time to tell you. I want you to know that the time I spent with you were the happiest days of my life. I will always cherish the memories we made. But I knew this kind of happiness couldn't last for ever. I understand and accept it. I hope you will still remain my friend and colleague. _

"I agree with you…it looks like she is referring to the engagement, but I don't understand why she doesn't come right out and say it, if it is so. Unless…" Em looked thoughtful.

"You mean, unless it is a secret? And has to be a secret?" It made sense. But did she really have to hide it from me?

"But, the thing is, why would Aro trust Carlisle with something like that and make a business deal out of it, if it is such a big state secret? How did he know about it anyway? I know Bella is related to Aro—he's her uncle—so that could be how he knows. But, seriously if it was a secret…?" My heart sank when I remembered the relationship between Aro and Bella's mother. They were cousins. We'd only found that out after Emmett did a background check on Bella because of Carlisle's industrial espionage story. Oh, shit! I'd forgotten all about that with all this going on.

"Hey, Em, do you think all this is related to the industrial espionage? I mean, the Tanya incident and Carlisle's suspicions about Bella? Do you think…" I gulped. I couldn't get the next words out. It was so painful. One look at my face, and Emmett knew what I was thinking.

"You mean, you suspect Bella of getting close to you in order to gain access to important documents?"

"Well, she did have a lot of access even without being my legal assistant." I tried to backtrack. I didn't like where this was leading.

"Ed, she did get more access to your office though, with the new position."

I sighed. "Yes, I guess so. But that one was Carlisle's idea, or Aro could have told him to do it." Anything was possible at this rate.

"Did she look surprised at Tanya's break-in? I mean, did she try to distract you during that particular time that Tanya broke into the office safe?"

I tried hard to think about what happened. It had been my idea to have Bella use my washroom, instead of the ladies room in the office, so she hadn't planned to be in my office during Tanya's visit. However, she could have taken advantage of the situation and had me distracted. Was I distracted? I remember being focused on the sounds in the washroom, but she hadn't really wanted me to join her. I groaned. I was never going to spend time with her so intimately again.

"Not exactly… It was my idea for her to use my washroom instead of the ladies' restroom."

"So, Bella didn't know about the break-in until it happened?" Emmett looked thoughtful.

"So it seems."

Right now I didn't know what to think, or whether I could trust Bella anymore. I had trusted her with my heart, and she had left it in pieces. Did I really know her? Or was it all an act—an act to get some documents? Did Aro send her? So many questions, and every question leads to another question or questions.

"Do you think Aro sent Bella?" Emmett asked the question I was thinking. He had a knack to say what was in my mind; it was as if we were both on the same wavelength. It was disarming at times.

"I was also thinking about it. He's her uncle, after all." I pinched the bridge of my nose. It helped me think.

"Well, if that is the case, he's now double crossing her with Carlisle." Emmett threw his hands up in frustration.

"Isn't Dimitri Volturi the son of Volturi Enterprises' biggest nemesis Caius and Sons?" I suddenly remembered the connection.

"Of course! My God, Edward! Now this really is turning out to be a whole different ball game! Welcome to the big business leagues."

"As I recall, Aro Volturi's cousin, Caius Volturi, started the company. We have a lot of dealings with Caius." We were both silent for a few minutes, trying to digest this piece of new information.

"Where does Carlisle fit in all this?" I wondered.

"He's the stud," Emmett laughed, and I grimaced.

"I'm sorry, Ed, I didn't think before opening my big mouth. I didn't mean it like that." He looked remorseful.

"I know, Em. But still, it all makes sense now."

"I guess so." Emmett sighed.

"But where does stealing our own documents fit in to all this? What if it's Volturi Enterprises doing the stealing through Bella or Tanya while they think Carlisle is oblivious." I cringed when I had to say her name. It pained me.

"I know. I hope the old man knows what he is doing."

"I don't know, Em. What does my father want so much that he'd be willing to mess with someone else's life to get it?" I couldn't say her name again. It was too painful.

"It's anyone's guess. I can't think of anything. Maybe Jazz or Alice could shed some light."

"Let's see. Better update them on the situation." Then a thought struck.

"Hey, where's Rosalie?" She should know Bella's whereabouts.

"She's at the café covering Esme's shift." Rosalie sure was an enigma. Although, I was surprised at her generosity towards someone she barely knew.

"Can you ask her where Bella is? She's not answering her phone, and she wasn't at home when I went there last night."

"I think Paul's covering her today. Wait, I'll check with Rose first." While Emmett contacted Rose, I sms'ed Alice and Jazz to meet us at the office. Since they lived close by, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle for them.

"It was supposed to be Paul's shift." Emmett looked guilty.

"What happened? Where is she?"

"That's the thing, Ed. We don't know."

"WHAT?"

"Paul followed her to the hospital. After a while, he had gone to grab a bite to eat, and when he got back, she was gone. He had gone back to her place, but no one was there. He had seen you come and go too. She didn't return all night, and Paul is still there at Bella's place. He had stayed overnight, hoping she'd turn up."

"Check the GPS on her vehicle."

Emmett chuckled.

"That old thing she drives doesn't have one. And her phone is switched off."

"Check all the flights. She might have flown to Italy or something."

"I'm on it."

"While you are at it, book me a flight over there. I'm going to see her fiancé. I've been dealing with Caius for a long time, and we have an upcoming deal to sign. I'll say I was in the neighbourhood and show up there."

"You mean we are showing up there," Em quipped. I sighed.

"Is it too much to hope that you'd let me go alone?"

"Nope. If you want to go, then it has to be with me. With everything that's going on, I really don't want you to be alone in a strange country."

"Okay, fine. Just make the reservations. Make sure to use someone reliable to check out things over here during our absence."

"I'll get Seth to cover."

Seth was an FBI agent and also Emmett's trusted friend. I also knew him very well. He used come to our training sessions and train with Jasper and me when Emmett did our training. Since the FBI was already involved, it made sense to have him here. We would also be sure that Rosalie was kept in line and information about Bella and me would not fall into her hands. Seth would not disclose any information we didn't want to the FBI. At the moment, we really needed another pair of hands on our side. Jasper would have to stay behind to look after my day to day work, but he would be too busy to do much more than that. We also had to be extra careful with legal documents Bella handled in the light of the new revelations. Our internal confidential information had to be kept safe from the eyes of our business partners. I didn't like the feeling that came over me when I thought that I could no longer trust Bella.

"Don't tell Rosalie what's going on, okay?"

"Fine. But I guess she'll figure out sooner or later."

"Bella hasn't said anything about quitting her job, so she might come to work tomorrow."

"Would she really do that?" Emmett raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know. But knowing how committed Bella is to her career, I don't see why she'd quit right now. Anyway, Tanya didn't get the documents she was after. Maybe they'll make another attempt." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm my nerves.

"Did Carlisle send you the documents?"

"Wait… I'll check." I logged on to my mail, and sure enough, my father had already sent them.

"Yes. I'll put printouts in the safe before going. He's even written a cover letter to me, as usual. He can be very thorough. Guess even if they hack-into my e-mail, they'd think it's an authentic document." I shook my head in despair. All this secrecy, and he's flirting with the enemy!

"Your mail is secure, Ed." I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, as secure as I can make it," Emmett said, shaking his head at my obvious scepticism.

I updated Alice and Jasper on what was happening. Alice was shocked to hear about Bella's engagement. She was adamant that it must be a lie. Jazz didn't say anything, but I saw he was concerned for me. I knew they considered me their family since both of them were orphans. Alice had also tried to contact Bella but had not been able to reach her. I was now worried that someone might have kidnapped her. She had not said anything to Esme either, so, as of now, no one knew her whereabouts.

We made flight reservations and managed to fly to Italy on Monday. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to do anything, so it was already Tuesday when I walked into the offices of Caius and Sons. Caius, as usual, was very welcoming, and I couldn't detect any falsehood in his manner. Our dealings had always been above board. We had had no trouble with him at all. I inquired after his son Dimitri and was told that he'd only be in office on Wednesday because he was away on a business visit. Dimitri was his adopted son, but it was obvious that Caius doted on him. Caius was divorced. He and Aro were not on good terms because of the rivalry between the two firms, even though they were brothers. Their mother was Marcus's sister, Maria. Emmett tried to find out where Dimitri was, but we drew a blank. It was obvious that Caius was not about to disclose his son's whereabouts to us. I couldn't help wondering whether he was with Bella. So I finally set up a meeting with Dimitri for Wednesday. I was going to have to meet Caius again anyway to sign the contracts we agreed on.

I visited Volturi Enterprises in the afternoon unannounced. I don't know what I expected to gain from a surprise visit, but Emmett had agreed that we could see whether they would show any uneasiness with our unexpected appearance at their doorstep. Aro Volturi was not there, so I met with Marcus Volturi, his uncle. Guess Aro was still in America. I had not informed Carlisle of my hasty visit, because I didn't want Aro to receive any advance notice. Marcus was very cordial to me as always, and I could tell the old man was very shrewd. He rarely missed anything. He inquired after my father and, to my surprise, asked whether someone named Isabella Swan worked for us. I told him that she did, but after that, he quickly dismissed us before I could ask him anything else. Did he know what Aro was up to and wanted to find Bella?

On Wednesday, I met with Caius again to finalise our contracts and sign the documentation. Carlisle was surprised to hear about my sudden visit to Italy, but didn't comment much on it. He thought it was a good idea for me to visit in person instead of relying on video conferencing.

Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, I walked into Dimitri Volturi's office. It was opulent and even more finely decorated with Italian artefacts than even his father's office. I could tell Dimitri wanted to make an impression on visitors to his office; in other words, show them his wealth. He was late to our meeting, and we had been sitting in his office for nearly half an hour when he decided to make an appearance. It was all a power play. His father had never made us wait.

So this was the man who was going to marry my Bella. I stared at Dimitri Volturi. He looked handsome, with his tanned complexion and dark hair. My skin, on the other hand, looked very sallow. I sighed. Did she think he looked better than me? Bella had told me I looked good many times; had she been comparing me to him all the time, finding me lacking? They do say that women were attracted to Italian men. Dimitri's attitude also didn't help.

"So, you are Edward Cullen. We finally meet." He held out his hand and sported a cunning-looking smile like the cat that got the cream. I didn't understand it.

"I know. It's nice to meet you in person too. I've been doing business with your father for years."

Dimitri took a seat behind the large carved desk. His seat and the desk were on an elevated platform, so we had to look up at him when we spoke. I could tell his intention was to make people feel intimidated by all the surrounding grandeur, but it only made me think that Dimitri seemed to be insecure in his own domain, needing the props to make him feel important. I wondered what Bella's life would be like with a man like this. She would end up being a trophy wife. The irony was that it was the fear that she'd face a similar fate at Carlisle's hands that had prompted me to first recue her from his clutches on the first night we met.

"Just like you, I took over most of the business from my father only just recently." Dimitri's smile didn't reach his eyes.

We then got into talks about our mutual business dealings. I was wondering how I could bring Bella into the conversation when Dimitri himself mentioned her.

"My fiancée is working for your company. You may know her, Isabella Swan?" Shit! It was true then. I had hoped all that Aro had said was a lie.

"Yes. I know her. She's a very good employee."

"Well, then, I'm sorry to be informing you that you'll be losing her very soon. I plan to marry her and bring her to Italy."

Oh my God…, this means I won't even be able to see my Bella anymore. I didn't know what to say to this. I hoped to God that my face didn't show my emotions. I was just about to try and form words to answer when my phone rang. Saved by the bell, so to speak… But my relief was short lived.

"Edward, you've got to get here as fast as you can." It was Alice's voice, and she sounded very agitated.

"Why? What's wrong?" I excused myself from Dimitri, leaving the room for a bit to get some privacy.

"Bella's getting married." I felt myself touching the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, I know," I said dejectedly.

"Oh, you do? I just got to know. Hope you are okay, Ed. I'm very sorry about everything. She invited us to the wedding. She's on leave, spending the time at her hometown in Forks. She's going to have the wedding there. She's having a very small wedding, and after that, they are going to have some Quileute ceremony of sorts. She and Jacob both don't want a huge wedding, but since Jacob's their tribal leader, the Quileutes want a big ceremony. So, I guess we'll be spending most of the time at the reservation with the tribe." I barely heard her voice, but then my mind started to grasp the words she was saying.

"Quileute ceremony? The tribe? What?" I couldn't help the words from escaping.

"What do you expect? Jacob's the heir to their throne. Of course they want to celebrate his wedding."

"His wedding? What?"

"Didn't you hear anything I said, Edward? Bella's marrying her childhood best friend, Jacob."

I was dumbfounded. Who? What? When? What the hell was going on?

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews:) So now…we've got a wedding coming up…and there's a bit of confusion as to who the groom is… Why is Bella marrying Jacob? And where does Jacob fit into all this if Dimitri is her fiancé? **

**A big thank you to Twimarti and Dazzleglo:) They both had an extremely busy week but took the time to help me out with this chapter. **


	19. Chapter 19 Wedding Bells

**Chapter 19**

**Wedding Bells**

**Edward's POV**

_"Didn't you hear anything I said, Edward? Bella's marrying her childhood best friend, Jacob."_

Everything around me was spinning out of control as I tried to grasp the elusive meaning behind what I had just heard.

"Edward, are you still there?" Alice's voice brought me back to the present with a bang.

"Did you meet him?"

"Of course I did. I was so shocked to hear the news that I flew down immediately to see her. I think she's sick, Edward. She looked so pale and didn't sound like herself at all."

"What? What's wrong with her?"

"She's changed a lot during the past week. She doesn't seem to eat much of anything, if at all. All she does is stare into space like she's a zombie. It's like someone died or something, and poor Jacob has to take care of her."

"What do you mean?"

"Edward, I don't know how to say this to you, but I have a feeling Bella doesn't really want to get married to Jacob. Something's off about this whole thing."

Something small like a flicker of hope blossomed somewhere within my heart.

"What? You mean…she's not in love with him?"

"She obviously cares about him a lot. She's clinging to him like a lifeline. She's in so much pain when she doesn't take her medication, which she seems to forget often. Her mother said it was her periods, but I suspect it's more than that. When she tried to get to the washroom, she fell down and nearly broke her arm. I don't remember Bella being clumsy, but it's like she's someone else now."

"Do you think he's forcing her to marry him? I mean, does it look like he's desperately in love with her?" There was a pause, and I held my breath.

"He really does care about her a lot. I can tell from the way he's taking care of her. But it's not in the way, I mean the way…" Alice stammered.

"What way?"

"The way you loved her…"

I winced. So Alice knew I loved Bella. Was I that transparent? Did Bella know too?

"He doesn't love her like that?"

"No, Edward, he doesn't. And she doesn't seem to either. She never looks at him the way she used to look at you. She loved you a lot, Edward. I really don't understand what happened." Did Bella really love me? I had always thought she cared for me very deeply while we were together.

"I don't either. Not anymore." I took a deep breath to try to calm down all the emotions running through me.

"Edward, I came here yesterday. Don't be angry, but I wanted to make sure that this is not what Bella wanted before calling you. If she was in love with this guy, as her friend I would have been very happy for her to get married to him. And I wouldn't be making this call to you."

"I know." I understood why Alice wanted to be sure.

"When's the wedding?"

"The day after tomorrow in the afternoon, that's Friday."

"Alice, I'm going to get on the next flight back. Don't tell her I'm coming. I think something is very wrong." My instincts told me to get to Bella as soon as possible.

"I do too. Jazz told me that you think she's engaged to be married to this Italian, and now she's in such a hurry to marry this Jacob guy."

"I know," I sighed.

"Well, don't just stand there—get your ass moving, and get here as fast and you can. We've got a wedding to stop."

"I'm on my way."

"That's the spirit! Meanwhile, I'll kidnap the bride if you don't make it on time."

"You do that, Ally, and I'll love you for ever." I heard the little pixie's laughter through the line and couldn't help smiling. She would actually do it too, no matter what the consequences. Alice was like the little sister I never had.

I quickly excused myself from Dimitri, refusing a dinner invitation and saying that I had to head back to the States for another business meeting.

Dimitri didn't seem to see anything odd about me rushing back. I was glad for that. Emmett and I took the next flight home. It was Thursday by the time I managed to get to Forks, Bella's home town. Emmett had gone back to our office to check things out there. I approached the small white house with some trepidation.

I didn't expect a tall, muscular Native American Indian to answer the door when I rang the bell.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. Is Bella there?"

"Jacob Black. It's nice to finally meet you." A huge grin spread over his face as he shook my hand. So Bella had told him about me.

"Bells just went out with her friend. She shouldn't be long. Why don't you come in? I've heard so much about you."

I had wanted to dislike Bella's fiancé on sight, but Jacob seemed like a very friendly guy. However, what he did next made me change that opinion. He hadn't yet let go of my hand, and he pulled me to him.

"Oh! I'm so glad you came!" And the next moment I was crushed against this huge guy in a very tight hug, or was it supposed to be a man hug? But I was shocked when I discovered that Jacob was sporting a hard-on! What the hell?

"You really are hot, Edward." I tried to move away from Jacob, but he was now holding on to my hand in a vice-like grip, not letting me go. His other hand was on my shoulder.

"Wow! What biceps." Huh?

"And this hair…fantastic…mmm…so silky… and the colour." This was creepy—he was running his hand through my hair. I jerked my head away from his hand in shock.

"Oh! Don't be afraid. I just think you are beautiful, Edward. Oh! The colour of those eyes…" He sighed. He actually sighed over the colour of my eyes! I knew I was red from embarrassment, or was it mortification? I had no idea how to deal with…with him. If I didn't know better…I'd say he was…I stared at his multi-coloured track bottoms.

"Bella didn't say how handsome you are, Edward. It's just…" Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by a loud scream. The next moment, something slammed into me.

I grabbed hold when I realised it was Bella. Oh! God! It was so good to hold her in my arms once again. And Jacob finally let go of me.

"Oh! God! Edward." To my horror, Bella started sobbing, hugging me tightly to her body.

"You…you came," her broken voice whispered.

"Of course I came. I had to come to your wedding." At this, Bella started crying even louder. Shit! That didn't come out right. I didn't want to even mention the blasted wedding.

"Edward." Alice walked up to me.

"Alice…" I nodded my head at her in acknowledgement.

"Ah…Jacob, would you like me to come over to your place and have a look at those hand-woven scarves you were talking about?" I smiled at Alice. She knew that I needed some time to talk to Bella in private.

"Sure, sure. They are gorgeous, you know. Maybe you and Bella should also come. I've got one that matches the colour of your eyes. Well…almost. You've got the most unusual colour of emerald I've ever seen." It was a bit unsettling the way Jacob stared at my eyes. I quickly looked away to Alice, who rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm a bit tired. Maybe later." For some reason, I really didn't want to be rude to Jacob. His face fell at my refusal. There was a childlike quality in him, and I really didn't want to hurt him.

"Come along now." Alice took hold of his hand, trying to pull him away.

"Bells, are you sure you'll be okay with him?" Jacob placed a hand on my Bella's shoulder and asked. I wanted to pull her away from his touch, but I didn't have that right. In fact I really didn't have the right to even hold his fiancée like this, in what could only be called an intimate hug right in front of him. I was actually surprised that he didn't seem to mind our closeness.

"I'm sure, Jake. It's Edward," Bella smiled a sunny smile at him and then grimaced when she saw my expression. I tried very hard to smile back at her for her sake.

"Oh! And Edward, I'll bring the scarf for you. You can wear it to the wedding tomorrow. Bells, I forgot to tell you, I already ordered the flowers; Alice picked them out for you. They've got all the colours in the colour wheel." Shit! I cringed. I could just imagine what Alice must have ordered.

"I thought you'd like to have that flower arch you'd always dreamed about getting married under." This time, a sad expression spread across Jacob's face.

"Thanks, Jake. It means a lot to me that you are planning the wedding with Alice."

"I just…I just wish…"

"I know…" Bella pulled away from me and kissed Jacob on his cheek. It was obvious she loved him a lot and he loved her in return. I felt tears burning in the back of my eyes. What if Alice was mistaken and they were really in love?

Just as if she knew what I was thinking, Alice shook her head and pointed to Jacob's track bottoms.

"Let's be on our way before it gets late. Like you said, the scarves can be used in the décor. Imagine them blowing in the wind! All the colours of the rainbow." Alice clapped her hands. Holy shit! I didn't even want to think about what it's going to turn out like. Multi-coloured flower arch along with colourful scarves...

"Oh, yes. I've got the colour scheme right. And I convinced Alice to have chairs covered in your favourite colour, Bells." Another sad smile crossed Jacob's face. "Bells, are you sure you don't want to wear that beautiful white dress we designed for you to wear when you got married one day?"

"Jacob, it's nearly seven years old. I don't think it will even fit me now. Not to mention it will be totally out of date." She looked miserable. It was obvious Bella had wanted to wear that dress to her wedding. She was just making excuses. I wonder why?

"I know…but I'm going to wear my tribal kit. Are you really sure that you are okay with it? I know you wanted your groom to wear a tux…and…I just…I want you to have your dream wedding, Bells." I was shocked to see the tears in Jacob's eyes. He really did care about her a lot.

"That dream died a long time ago, Jake." Bella's sad smile suddenly made Jacob very angry.

"Don't you dare bring that up again! We'll do something. I won't be able to give you everything, Bells, but that is something I'm going to try to give you some day. And with the money…" he suddenly trailed off, looking at me as if he just remembered that I was there and had just witnessed a very private conversation.

"I'll see you later then." Jacob turned to place a kiss on Bella's cheek, then one on mine as well. Right on cue, I blushed. Never before, have I ever felt so out of my element. He was grinning mischievously as he left. Alice was giggling. Bella looked at me, and for the first time since I saw her again, her eyes gleamed with mischief.

"I think he really likes you." And suddenly I was very angry.

"You think so? You think he likes me? You think it's funny that your fiancé seems to like another man?" I pulled away from Bella, running an agitated hand over my hair.

"I…I…didn't…" she stammered.

"He's…he's gay, isn't he?" I said the words that had been running through my mind.

"Yes…" Bella looked at me in fear.

"What the hell, Bella! You are going to marry your gay best friend tomorrow? Are you crazy?" I couldn't help pacing the veranda, trying to calm myself down. We hadn't even made it inside the house yet.

"I…I…"Bella looked contrite.

"No. You listen, Bella. You wouldn't answer my calls. Then I hear that you are engaged to some idiot in Italy! I had to hear it from my father's business partner. Not from you. And now you are not marrying him but, but…your…this… God!"

I threw my hands up in frustration shaking my head trying to clear it.

"What is going on here, Bella? At least Dimitri is straight and he is handsome."

"You know Dimitri?" Bella asked in surprise.

"Where do you think I was all this time? I flew to Italy to meet him and find out exactly what was going on."

"So you know." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I know that Dimitri is planning to marry you and take your over to Italy."

"What? He said that?" Bella sounded horrified.

"Yes, he said that."

"He's…he's really coming for me…" Suddenly Bella seemed to be unsteady on her feet. I caught her just as she fell in a dead faint. I quickly carried her into the house. I laid her down on the couch and had just got up to find some water when a woman came rushing down the steps.

"Oh! My God! She fainted again. Stay with her…" She put her hand up asking me to stay where I was and she rushed off somewhere. From her resemblance to Bella, I figured she must be her mother. The words "fainted again" struck my mind. Was Bella sick? Why was she fainting so much?

"Here, let me put this over her so that she can sleep for a bit. She always feels better afterwards." She covered Bella in a blanket. I ran a hand through my hair.

"Shouldn't we…revive her?"

"She'll just feel awful. She comes out of it herself, when she feels better." The woman stared at Bella lovingly.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Renee, Bella's mother, and you are?" She glanced curiously at me.

"I'm Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you." I held out my hand. The next thing I knew I was engulfed in a hug.

"Oh, Edward, you came! You came for her…" And to my dismay, she started crying.

"She missed you so much."

"I…I…" I really didn't know what to say. After a while, I handed her a handkerchief and walked her to a chair. I was so worried about Bella. She hadn't yet woken up.

"Does she faint often?" I asked. Renee sniffed.

"Only when she has her monthly thing, although it's like once in many months for her. She goes through hell every time she gets it."

"What do you mean?"

"She suffers from so much pain, migraines, and she's always so out of control with her emotions," Renee sighed.

"Has she consulted a doctor?" Renee looked like I had grown two heads.

"Of course she did. She went to the first doctor when she was just eleven because she couldn't bear the pain. And the stupid idiot told her that it was part of life and she should learn to bear it. We didn't know better and just took the painkillers he gave. It was only when she was eighteen and started fainting that we took her to a specialist. By then, it had worsened, and so much damage…"

"Damage?" I was getting very confused by the minute. I really didn't know much about women's stuff.

"She's got severe endometriosis. Even now, she's bleeding inside." Now I was taken back. What the hell were we doing here if she had internal bleeding?

"Shouldn't we take her to a doctor if she has internal bleeding?"

Renee shook her head.

"They can't do anything. She had many operations already to clean up the mess from the bleeding. By then a lot of damage was caused to her internal organs…and my poor baby…she can't have kids."

Renee burst into another round of crying. I really didn't understand what she was talking about, but I knew it was something serious. I'd never heard of this type of an illness. Of course I knew that woman had their monthly thing as Renee put it. I decided to look up the disease on the internet. I quickly recalled the word she mentioned and memorised it. I didn't know how to console Renee. I couldn't assure her that everything was all right, when I didn't know what the hell she was talking about in the first place. I also found it kind of awkward talking about such matters with Bella's mom. Although I'd been very intimate with Bella, even we hadn't discussed such things.

"You know that's why she left you, don't you?"

WHAT? What the hell?

"What?"

"She didn't want to put you through that. She always thought of others. She didn't want to burden them with her problems," Renee sighed.

"What do you mean?" I was totally confused.

"Bella wants you to have kids. She told us that she cared about you too much to make you suffer. Looking at you, I can see that you care about her a lot too." I could see the glitter of tears in Renee's eyes again.

"She left me because she can't have children? And she thought I would want them?" Renee nodded her head.

"It was horrible for her to learn that she was infertile at the tender age of eighteen. She never dated after that. She didn't want anyone to get close to her and fall in love with her, because she said she didn't have anything to offer for the future. The silly girl," a sad smile spread across her face.

"I didn't know…" This caught Renee's attention. She looked at me in horror.

"She…she told me you knew, and that's why you broke up."

"I heard something about it at dinner, when we found out about Esme's child, and after that, with the hospital trip and everything, I really didn't have much time to even think of it."

Holy shit! So that's why she broke off with me? I felt another glimmer of hope. She still cared about me. She had only wanted what she thought was the best for me.

"Why didn't you come after her then? Why now?"

"I got to know that she was engaged to Dimitri Volturi so I didn't want to…" I left it at that.

"That old man! Why can't he leave us alone?" Renee looked furious now. Dimitri wasn't old; in fact, I think he was even younger than me. But I didn't want to point this out to Renee when she was in such a temper.

"Here, read this." A tiny hand reached out and placed a much-abused envelope in my hands. I was so engrossed in what Renee was saying that I didn't realise Bella was awake.

"Bells, I'm sorry, sweetheart. I had to talk to Edward. He had to know." Renee looked apologetic.

"I know…" Bella took a deep breath. "I should have done that." She looked sad and lost. I lovingly pushed a stray lock of hair behind Bella's ear and smiled at her. Her smile was hesitant, but it still lit up her eyes.

"Read, Edward. It will explain everything." I hesitantly opened the envelope in my hands and started to read.

**A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews:). So why do you think Bella is marrying Jacob instead of Dimitri? And what did you think of Jacob? Would you like him to make a scarf to match your eyes? Lol!. Thank you Twimarti and Dazzlglo for your help with this chapter, Jacob is already making beautiful scarves for you. **

**On a more serious note, if you have a lot of pelvic pain during periods, please do seek medical attention. It could be endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is also found elsewhere in the body, mainly in the abdominal cavity. According to statistics 10% of all women in their reproductive years suffer from it. But not all end-up with severe complications like Bella did. If you want more information please visit: www dot endometriosis dot org. **


	20. Chapter 20 Beauty of life

**Chapter 20**

**Beauty of life**

**Bella's POV**

They say it was better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. But the day I lost Edward, I felt that it would have been better if I had never loved at all…

As soon as I had come out of the doctor's lounge, I had run into Alice, who immediately knew something was wrong. I hugged her tightly and let go. I cried over everything I'd lost. I cried over the life I could have had with Edward. If I had been half the woman I should have been, I would have been able to have children…been able to give Edward the family he deserved. I couldn't do that. And I could never take the chance he had of a happy life with a family away from him. I loved him too much to do that to him. In fact, I wouldn't do it to anyone. I vaguely heard Rosalie speaking in the background, but I didn't care anymore.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Alice was waking me up to inform me that the operation was a success.

I had gone home after that hoping that Edward would call me to invite me for dinner on Saturday and when I awoke on Saturday, the nightmare began…

I regained consciousness to the voices of my mother and the deep, velvety tone I loved. Edward…he was there. As I listened, I gained clarity. Edward actually didn't know why I left him. Even after all the pain I'd put him through, he was here for me. I knew he deserved to know the truth. And the truth lay in the hated piece of paper I now carried around in my pocket. I handed over the letter to Edward…

**Edward's POV**

I had never been as angry as I was after reading that letter.

"What the hell is he thinking?"

The letter was from Bella's grandfather Marcus Volturi, or more accurately from his attorney outlining the conditions on her inheritance. If she was not married by the date of her 24th birthday, which was in just over a week, she would have to marry Dimitri Volturi in order to inherit. The letter was posted just last week.

"How could you throw your life away like this? How could you marry your gay best friend just to get the money?" I knew my words were harsh, but it had to be said.

"Edward, I need the money. I need it for treatment. There is a chance…a very small one, that I might be able to get pregnant with proper treatment." Bella's pleading eyes looked at me.

"So you are going to marry Jacob just to get the money?" She cringed, and I felt awful for being so rude to her but I couldn't help myself.

Renee gave me a desperate pleading look.

"Edward, you have to understand that we don't have much. We are in debt. Charlie had to undergo heart surgery a few years back, and we had to borrow a lot of money to cover the cost. We also didn't have insurance for Bella's treatments over the years, and we even had to mortgage this house. I wouldn't want to touch that man's money with a ten foot pole. But we are desperate. Bella and Charlie together barely keep us afloat. She can never save enough money for the treatment. I don't think she can take a loan with all the debt we are carrying. She needs the money now, while she's still young and has a chance." Renee had tears brimming in her eyes as she finished.

"Mom…" Bella looked embarrassed.

"What? He has to know. You were never a money-grabbing gold digger," Renee admonished her.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't think. How much money are you talking about? I could help you with the treatments."

"I couldn't do that, Edward," Bella stammered, but there was something like hope in her eyes.

"Just a moment, young man! That money is rightfully hers. I should have inherited it from my father and been able to pass it onto her."

"What happened?" I had a fair idea but wanted their version of it.

"Mom met my dad. He was part of her security detail." Oh?

"Edward, I'm Marcus Volturi's only daughter. Aro Volturi is my cousin."

I knew this already. "He's running the business now, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes. I was supposed to take over from father, but then I met Charlie, Bella's father." I saw a small smile spread across her face. "And it was love at first sight. Needless to say, my father didn't want me to marry an employee, let alone an American. So we eloped. He disinherited me, his only child." Renee sighed.

"So that means, you would have inherited Volturi Enterprises?" It was so obvious, but I hadn't really had time to put things together sooner.

"Yes. Bella will inherit Volturi Enterprises along with all the family properties around Italy. If she doesn't, I guess it will go to Aro."

My God! That was a fortune. No wonder Aro wanted to break off Bella's engagement and prevent her from marrying before her birthday!

According to the letter Bella received, she would inherit her fortune on her 24th birthday. But there was a catch. If she was not married by then, she was to marry Dimitri Volturi. If she did not marry him, she would not get her inheritance. But if she was already married by her 24th birthday, which happened to fall in just over one week, on the 13th of September, she would still inherit. Meanwhile, if she married someone other than Dimitri after her birthday, she would still lose her inheritance. It also stated that, since Bella was still single at the time of its posting, she should prepare to wed Dimitri, who would be arriving in mid-October. She would then be required to travel to Italy and make it her permanent residence.

_However, if she was already married then the above condition would be null and void,_ a small voice inside of me reminded me. It was obvious the letter with the condition was delivered to her just in time for her birthday, making it impossible for her to marry with such short notice. But Bella was not someone who would play along, and I now understood her determination to marry Jacob in spite of him being gay.

Of all the manipulative… so that's why Aro had wanted Bella to marry after September.

"Exactly, but I don't care about the money, Edward. At least, I didn't until Charlie got sick. What Charlie earned was enough for us. I did a small business as well, so we had more than enough to provide for our little family. Then Bella also needed treatment. That's when everything went wrong," Renee's voice faltered.

"I didn't take the decision to marry Jacob lightly, Edward. There was nothing else to do. I also wanted to help Esme." Bella sighed.

"I know, love." I took Bella's hands in mine. Suddenly, I knew what to do. Why didn't I think of this before? Well, I had. I had even brought my mother's engagement ring hoping to propose to Bella and convince her not to marry Jacob.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a minute? Somewhere…private?"

"I'll leave." Renee smiled as she got up.

"No, no, Mom, you wait. Edward, I know just the place. Shall we go for a little drive?" She smiled at me again. I missed those smiles so much.

"Are you sure you are all right?"

"I'm sure, and the fresh air will be good for me."

"All right, but I'm driving."

"As you wish, Cullen," Bella smiled again and it made me happy that she called me 'Cullen'. It was a good sign, as she always called me that when she was happy and teasing me.

I wondered where Bella was taking me to. I was excited and at the same time very nervous for what I had planned. A lot depended on whether I could convince Bella or not. I felt for the small rectangular box that held my mother's ring in my pocket for reassurance.

We had driven for about five minutes when Bella told me to stop. I looked around and realised we'd just driven around in circles.

"Bella, aren't we at the back of your property?" The area was wooded, but it was easy to see the giant oak tree in Bella's backyard.

"Yes, I just didn't want Mom to know where we were." She giggled. It was nice to hear her giggle. She even had a slight, guilty flush on her beautiful face.

"Come with me." Her eyes held mischief. I smiled. How I missed that look.

Bella didn't wait for me to open her door, before jumping out and running for the woods. I quickly followed her. In all honesty, I feared for her sanity. One moment she was having a breakdown and crying her eyes out, and the next she was giggling like a carefree school girl. I shook my head. I would never understand my Bella.

Bella continued to run into the woods, and after about five minutes, we walked into a clearing which caused me to gasp. It was a lovely meadow surrounded by trees, with a small stream flowing nearby.

"Well, what do you think?" Bella stood in the middle and looked at me expectantly.

"It's beautiful. And so are you." Sunrays filtered through the trees, creating a halo around Bella adding reddish brown highlights to her hair. Her skin looked translucent bathed in the golden glow of the sunlight. Colourful wild flowers surrounded her. She was like an angel standing in the middle of the Garden of Eden. I was transfixed by the sight before me. I have no idea how long I stood there watching her beauty and staring at her. My concentration was only broken when I saw her bottom lip tremble. I quickly rushed to her pulling into my arms. I hugged my angel tightly to my chest. I couldn't help uttering the words that had been in my heart all this time.

"I love you, Bella." I heard her gasp and pull me even closer to her.

"I love you too, Edward." I barely heard the words spoken muffled in my chest, but those were the four most beautiful words I had ever heard in my life. At that moment I knew, as long as she loved me, nothing else mattered. I just wanted her with me forever. I may have only known her for a few short weeks, but I knew right then and there that we were meant to be.

I got down on one knee and pulled out the box with my mother's ring.

"Marry me, Bella?" Bella stood there gazing at me in surprise. Two glassy tears rolled down her face.

"Yes. Oh, God, Edward, a thousand times yes!" Bella fell down on her knees, and I hungrily kissed my new fiancée's lips. After a moment, I pulled back and put the ring on her finger.

"Wow, it looks lovely!" Bella's face was glowing with happiness.

"It was my mother's." Bella smiled.

After a moment, she suddenly looked up at me.

"Edward, when did you get the ring? Oh my God! You were going to propose even without knowing the contents of that letter!" Bella exclaimed.

"I brought it with me hoping to convince you to marry me instead of Jacob. I'm so happy, Bella." I sighed, pulling her on top of me as I lay down on the grass. Bella traced patterns on my chest admiring the ring.

"Me too, Edward. I thought I'd lost you." She took a long breath.

"Edward, are you sure you are okay with…with… I mean, I might not be able to have children." My heart broke for Bella when she uttered those words, which had to be very painful for her. I knew she was offering a way out for me even at this late stage.

"I'm sure, love. I love you. We'll try our best with treatments, and if everything fails, we'll just adopt. You are my life now, Bella. I can live without children, but I can't live without you. The last week has shown me that," I said, stroking her hair.

"I know. I can't live without you either. That's why I agreed. I love you so much, Edward."

We lay there for a while, lost in our thoughts. I hated to break the silence, but we had to talk. Getting engaged while still engaged to someone else? Was it done? Oh shit!

"Bella, what about Jacob?"

"Oh, he'll be so happy. He told me so many times to just show up at your door step when my calls didn't get returned. In fact, I'm sure he called you as well."

"What?"

"Well, I've been calling and leaving messages for you. Your secret number doesn't work, it says user not available, and the others are forwarded to the office. When I called Cullen Enterprises, I was told you were abroad and could not be contacted."

"But I'm sure Angela would have left a message for me and told me you called." Now I was confused. Jasper had been in touch. He had told me that Bella called him about not being able to come to work this week, but he told me she didn't ask about me.

"Er… all the calls went to Tanya. When I asked for Angela, she said that Angela can't be contacted since she's helping Jasper in your absence. She was answering your calls." Oh shit! We hadn't told Angela about Tanya's spying. I wondered whether she'd kept any other important calls from me.

"Bella, love, since I was abroad, the secret number was switched off. Angela was supposed to take all the calls. I have a roaming number that everyone uses to contact me while I'm away. I'm sorry I haven't given it to you."

"Oh! Out of desperation I finally called Alice and invited her to the wedding. I was sure she'd get in touch with you and tell you the news. I didn't have the guts to ask her to contact you directly, after what I'd done."

"Bella, I think you should tell me what happened. Starting from Friday night when you ran out of the doctor's lounge."

Bella sighed. "I wanted to talk to you that night but you had already left by the time I started looking for you."

"I had to leave in a hurry. Rosalie saw me in the hallway coming out of the doctor's lounge. I didn't want her to make the connection between us, so I quickly went home. Did she ask about me?"

"No, I don't think so. I was…I…broke down…so it was a while…" Bella burrowed her head in my chest.

"I know, love, I saw. I wanted so much to come after you." It had physically hurt me to leave her there that day.

"Why…why didn't you call me to ask me out for dinner?" Brown eyes brimming with tears looked up at me.

"I wanted to call you. I came to the hospital early in the morning hoping to see you. Then lost track of the time cooking for you."

"You were making dinner?" Bella asked in shock.

"Yes, love, I was going to cook for you for our dinner date. I was getting ready to make the final dish when I received your sms. I'm so sorry that I didn't call before confirming the date, but I thought you must be asleep and didn't want to disturb you. I assumed the date was already confirmed." I was such an idiot. If I had called at that time all this could have been avoided.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Edward. I thought you didn't want to say it yourself and that's why you hadn't called me. I thought you were trying to break off with me lightly without hurting me. So I…I wrote that message, hoping to let you off the hook."

"It's okay, love." I kissed the top of her head.

"I went home after the operation was finished. I checked in on Esme who was also asleep. I fell into bed and slept like a log. It was early in the morning when I had a visit from Aunt Flow."

"Oh." Bella must have been busy with her aunt the next day.

"I really hate her, you know. I feel horrible when it's time for her visit. Anyway, I quickly went to the hospital before things went bad." I hugged Bella tighter to me. Bella sure had some weird relatives. I wondered why she tolerated her aunt visiting her when she didn't even like her.

"You should have just told her to go away, love. Or said you were busy with the hospital visits."

"What?" A confused-looking Bella looked up at me.

"Your Aunt Flo, you should have just asked her to leave if you didn't like her to visit you. Or made some excuse so that she left." For a moment, Bella looked even more confused, and then unexpectedly she broke into laughter.

"Oh, my God, Edward," she was laughing so hard that she was struggling to breathe.

"Seriously…? I mean are you serious?"

What? What was so funny?

"What do you mean? Of course I'm serious." She burst into another fit of giggles. I had to smile now, but for the life of me, I couldn't understand what was so funny about the situation.

"Do you know who Aunt Flow is?"

"You haven't introduced her to me. Is she from your mother's side or your father's?" To my bewilderment, Bella burst out laughing again.

"Edward, shit…I don't know how to…gosh, this is so embarrassing and funny at the same time. It's my period."

"Huh?" This was even more confusing. What was the connection between her aunt and her period?

"Girls just say that their Aunt Flow came for a visit when they get their periods. It's…I guess a more polite way of saying it." Holy shit! I'm sure I just turned red as a tomato.

"Edward, are you blushing?" I hid my face in her hair.

"You are! You are embarrassed!" I pulled her closer to me, forcing her to lay her head on my chest. The next thing I knew both of us burst into laughter. We finally cooled down after a while.

"Just so you know, love, I hate your Aunt Flow too!" I told her, kissing the top of her head, making her giggle once more.

"So what happened after that, Bella?"

"As I told you, I rushed to the hospital before the pain got unbearable. The first day usually isn't that bad." She blushed when she realised how much she was telling me.

"Oh, I'm sorry…too much information."

"Bella, love, I'm going to be your husband. We should be able to talk about everything, okay? And it will be good to know more about this too so that I can take care of you better." I stroked her hair, trying to reassure her.

"Anyway, I got a call from Jake, saying he was in Seattle and would like to come for a visit. I told him I was having my period, then he insisted I come home with him to Forks so that Mom could take care of me."

"Jacob knows…err about…" I waived my hand in the air, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

"Yes, he does. Edward, to me he's just like another one of my girlfriends. I can talk about anything with him. He knows how painful my periods are and that I find it extremely difficult to cope by myself during those days. There were many times that he had to deal with it along with my parents."

"It does look like he cares about you a lot."

"Anyway, luckily he had the rabbit—I was so happy about it."

"The rabbit?" Oh! My God! Did Jacob have a vibrator? I cringed when I thought about where he might put it if he had one. Why was she so happy about him having his vibrator? Just how close were they? I was in shock trying to figure out what all this was about when Bella continued with her tale.

"I love the rabbit. The ride was so smooth. I just couldn't tolerate anything rough with the pain." Holy shit! She used his vibrator? And she wasn't even blushing when she was saying this. That gave me pause. What exactly was this rabbit she was talking about?

"Bella, what exactly is a rabbit?"

"It is 'the rabbit'. Don't let Jacob hear you calling it a rabbit. It's his baby. He made it from scratch." Did Jacob make vibrators in addition to scarves? What a strange combination!

"Anyway, I was too heartbroken and in too much pain to protest when he came to pick me up. I just left in the clothes I was wearing."

"Bella, the rabbit…it's a car…" I managed to get out before, this time, I burst out laughing.

"What? What did you think it was?" A very confused Bella looked at me. I knew the minute she realised what I had thought it was, the moment a beautiful blush spread across her face.

"Oh, no! You didn't!" She hid her face in my chest, giggling once again. I loved it when Bella blushed.

"Oh, yes I did. And I heard it was a smooth ride. So you like rabbits that give you smooth rides?" I couldn't help teasing her. Bella gasped; then all at once she looked up.

"Well, my pink rabbit always gives me a smooth ride, Edward."

I felt my jaw drop open in surprise. Just as the words left her mouth, Bella's bravery also deserted her, since the next moment she covered her face with her hands and once again hid against my chest. It took me a moment to register what she had just said. She owned a pink rabbit vibrator! Holy shit! I couldn't help the images that rushed into my mind of her using it. We were both lost in our thoughts, while I tried valiantly to control my erection. Her next words took care of that problem immediately.

"I was still hoping for your call, but you never called me. By late afternoon, I had lost hope, and it was then that I sent that awful text to you. I'm so sorry, Edward. I know it's no excuse but I get so emotional when I have my periods and I tend to overreact to everything." I sighed, remembering the heartbreak I went through after reading it.

"I called you back many times, and when you didn't answer, I came looking for you." Bella looked at me with huge eyes.

"You did? I fell asleep after that. I had taken my painkillers. They always drug me. Jacob had put the phone on silent so as not to disturb me. I only realised it on Monday morning."

"Yes, love, and Paul had been tailing you but lost you. So I didn't know where to find you."

"Oh shit."

"I know, love. And to make things worse, the next day Emmett showed me a video." I went on to explain about what I had seen and why I had flown over to Italy looking for her.

"Things got worse after I got home. I slept through the night and only opened the letter on Monday morning. It had come for me on Friday. Mom had just thought it was about the inheritance and hadn't opened it, waiting for me to come home for my birthday to open it. In a way, it was lucky that I went home. Otherwise we wouldn't have known the clause containing the condition for inheritance until it was too late. Jake was there when I read it, and he offered to marry me right then and there. I didn't want to say yes before calling you. So I called you on Monday, and Tanya told me you were in Italy. She implied that you'd gone for your booty call."

"My booty call?" What the hell was she talking about?

"Yes, with someone named Jane." Bella hid her face with her hair, sitting up and letting go of me.

"Who the hell is Jane?" I was getting very angry with Tanya, and I couldn't believe that Bella actually listened to her.

"When your secret phone was off and I couldn't contact you on your home phone or normal hand phone either, I thought you were blowing me off. After the way I'd broken up with you, I believed it when Tanya said that you'd flown to Italy for some fun with Jane."

"Who is Jane?" This time, Bella looked at me as if I'd grown two heads.

"You don't know? I mean, she doesn't exist?"

"I don't know any Janes. I met Caius and Dimirtri while I was there. I also spoke with your grandfather, Marcus." Bella gulped.

"How is he? I've never met him—only heard about him from my mother."

"He's a good businessman, but love, I really don't approve of the way he's trying to manipulate his family. I also don't like the way he disinherited his only daughter."

"I know. I agree with you." We lay together for a little while longer.

"Bella, when do you want to get married? We'd have to get married this week, right?"

"Yes. Oh God! Let's get home! We've got a wedding to plan." Suddenly Bella was in a great hurry. She pulled me up and started running with me towards my vehicle. As I followed her, I couldn't help the huge grin that spread across my face. She was going to be my wife—I was going to marry my Bella!

**A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! What do you think of the proposal and their declarations of love? And what about Jake's Rabbit and Bella's Aunt Flow?:) Aro and his plan? And what do you think of Bella's grandfather Marcus? **

**Please review and Jake just might agree to make you a rabbit! Dazzleglo loves her scarf; it matches her blue eyes perfectly. Jake has some real talent!**

**I've just uploaded a one-shot called 'Boom' I wrote for the tales from the void2 competition. It won the 'third place – Judge's choice' award. Check it out. **

**A big thank you to Twimarti and Dazzleglo for beta'ing and sending me back this chapter so quickly! It was so difficult to write this chapter and I got late sending it over to them. **


	21. Chapter 21 A Change of Plans

**Chapter 21**

**A Change of Plans**

**Bella's POV**

We had just got back from the meadow when we were greeted by Alice and Jasper.

"Jazz," Edward shook his hand.

"We have some news." I couldn't help blurting out.

"Congratulations!" An exuberant pixie hugged me.

"Hey, you haven't even heard the news yet," I protested.

"No, need." She waved her hand and rolled her eyes. "Your faces say everything I want to know," Alice laughed.

"It's good to see you interested in the wedding at last." The pixie smiled. She turned to Jasper and they had one of their silent conversations.

"Bella, er…there is something I wanted to ask." Alice wasn't meeting my eyes and there was a worried frown on her face. But she was bubbling with excitement. It was such an odd combination, even for her.

"What is it, Alice?"

"It's just that…this is going to sound a bit…okay it's…kind of a big favour," she was stammering. Alice stammering is something that never happens.

"Out with it. You know I'd agree don't you? As long as it's reasonable," I immediately added remembering the multi-coloured decorations in her home. I was already dreading the décor at the wedding. I had not cared at all when I was going to marry Jacob. Now I wanted my dream wedding. I was hoping that Jacob hadn't gone overboard with the colours with Alice as his co-organizer. They were clearly a deadly combination. There was no way I could change anything this late in the day. I sighed.

"Well, I…we…" Alice met Jasper's eyes and he gave her an encouraging nod.

"As you know I also want to get married. But right now as things stand we won't be able to do that back in Seattle. So, I was just wondering whether you'd mind if we get married here too." Alice blushed, when Edward burst out laughing.

"Of course we wouldn't mind, Alice!" I said at once hugging her to congratulate her.

"Oh, thank god. So you wouldn't mind it if we marry at the same place? I mean at La Push beach? It's sort of my dream wedding. I was going to do it on a beach in Miami as well. It doesn't really matter to me which beach really. So…"

"Oh, Alice! That's so great! I'd love that…"then a sudden thought struck me. This was the opportunity for me to have my dream wedding as well. I met Edward's eyes and looked at him pleadingly; he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. He mouthed the words meadow and smiled at me.

"I also have a great favour to ask."

"What? What is it? You know I'd do anything." Alice was a ball of energy now that she was going to get her dream, she was kind of vibrating with excitement.

"Edward proposed to me at my meadow," I smiled looking up into my fiancé's glittering emerald globes.

"You have a meadow?" Alice asked me in surprise.

"It's a small clearing in the woods. We own the property. I used to go there when I wanted peace and quiet to read."

"Oh, this is lovely. So you want to get married there?" Alice seemed to know where this conversation was going. I felt guilty for changing the venue just like that, but since nothing was going to waste…

"Yes, Alice. It's the place I secretly dreamed of getting married. When Jacob and I discussed weddings, his dream was to get married on La Push beach so I pretended to like it as well. And, I'm going to wear my old wedding dress, the one I made with Jacob."

"Will it fit?" Alice laughed.

"I have no idea! Hopefully I lost enough weight this week." I meant it as a joke, but Edward's face fell.

"Oh! Wow! So, what are we going to do with the dress I made for you…or…I mean do you mind very much if I wore it?" You have got to love Alice!

"Of course not—was it your dream dress as well?"

"Well, sort of but I was planning to have it much shorter." I was going to wear the multi-coloured confection just to please Alice. I heaved a sigh of relief. Now I was finally going to get my own dream wedding, with my dream man.

"You can adjust it anyway you want, Alice. I don't mind. In fact, I want you to keep it, Alice." Now that I didn't have to, there is no way I'm ever going to wear it. Unless, of course, we are celebrating Mardi Gras, then I'd blend right in.

"Wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I could see how happy she was to wear her special creation. Then, suddenly, she stopped dancing around and turned to me.

"So, we are both getting married tomorrow?" Huge pixie eyes stared at me.

"I was thinking that Edward and I could marry on Sunday. That will give us two days to get everything done. Since everything is already ordered for tomorrow…" I knew it was not realistic to try to have both the weddings tomorrow. We had to order the food and find photographers to cover the wedding etc. It was already past one in the afternoon. We needed at least two days to make all the arrangements.

"So, I can get married tomorrow? Oh! Jazz! We are getting married tomorrow!" Jasper caught the bullet-like little pixie to his chest and spun her around. It was amazing how calm Jasper was taking all this, but I guess it balanced them out.

"Oh, my God! How are we going to get everything done in such a short timeframe for your wedding?"

Jacob had already done much of the work for tomorrow's wedding since Monday, along with Alice. So that wedding was already taken care of. But we now needed to plan our wedding and get everything done in two days. We didn't have the luxury of time since I was turning 24 next week. We didn't dare cut it too close.

"Oh, don't worry—we've got plenty of help." I picked up the phone and called Jacob. The next thing we knew, he arrived with a truck load of people.

"Okay, first, congratulations Bella! Now guys do exactly as Bella says," A huge grin was pasted on Jacob's face. I was enveloped in a bear hug as Jacob spun me around.

"I'm so happy, Bells! You finally get to marry your dream guy!"

"And, Edward…" Jacob's grin fell and for a minute he looked sad. Then he crushed Edward in a bear hug as well. Edward looked really uncomfortable, I should warn Jacob to keep his hands to himself and not molest poor Edward. That was going to be my job now.

"You are breaking my heart man. How am I ever going to get over your gorgeous green eyes? I wish you liked popsicles instead of great holes. Oh, well, what to do." He shook his head sadly, pulling back from Edward. I could tell Edward had not figured out what Jacob just told him from the frown that etched on his face. But then suddenly his eyebrows shot up and he blushed furiously. We all burst out laughing when we saw the mortified look on Edward's face. Jacob had basically told Edward, he wished he liked guys instead of girls.

I didn't need much encouragement, I lead everybody down to the meadow and we made a plan on how to decorate. I actually decided that we really didn't need to do anything much. It was perfect as it was. I only wanted the Quileutes to make us a flower arch so that we could marry under it. I wanted that made out of wild flowers as well from around the meadow. We didn't have the time to make food so Edward insisted on ordering. We had already ordered for tomorrow's wedding. I was surprised when the caterer even agreed to make two wedding cakes. Alice already had pictures of the type of cake she wanted so she just sent the pictures, while I video-conferenced with the caterer and decided on a simple design. Then Alice and I got busy with our dresses. As I had hoped I was able to get into my wedding dress but it was very tight on top. I guess I'd grown-up a bit during the preceding years. We had to loosen and adjust it, but it made for quite a plunging neck line.

"God, Alice!"

"Bella, it's very sexy! People do have deeper necklines than that one on wedding dresses. Anyway, I did think that the dress was too conservative. The fifteen-year-old you and the twenty-three-year-old you are completely different in maturity…" Alice winked at me.

"So showing it with a bit of cleavage is just the thing to make the dress more…up-to-date," she laughed.

I had to agree. I couldn't wait to see the expression on Edward's face when he saw it. He wouldn't be expecting me to wear something so form fitting for my wedding. Jacob also loved the dress. We added a bit of lace to cover some of the neck line but everything else looked perfect. I was going to wear some wildflowers in my hair. Edward and I were going to get married in the morning while Alice wanted to have a sun set wedding. Edward hired a photographer he knew very well to cover the events. So we had the assurance of utmost secrecy. Edward had some CD recordings of him playing and we just decided to play those for the wedding.

I hadn't even known that Edward played the piano! There are so many things that I didn't know about this man I was about to marry, but I knew the most important thing. That is that he loved me. As long as I knew that, I didn't really care about the other things. We had plenty of time to get to know each other better later. I only wished we could live together after marriage. Edward and I had avoided discussing it. And with the excitement of the wedding I didn't want to bring it up and dampen our happiness. We'd worry about it later. I wondered whether we'd even have time for a honeymoon. We had to get back to work on Monday. We couldn't take too many days off since it would look suspicious.

Edward decided to fly in Esme for the wedding by helicopter, so that Esme could just stay for the ceremony and get back to Colin as fast as she could afterwards. He was so thoughtful. He knew how much Esme and I would love celebrate this special event together.

Luckily, no one expected us in Seattle since it was the weekend. We planned to spend the wedding night at Edward's house. After that I'd go back to my place and just pretend nothing happened. We agreed that for the time being we were going to keep everything secret until we figured out what Aro and Tanya were up to. We didn't know whether Tanya was working for him or for someone else. And Aro definitely wanted to prevent me from marrying anyone before my birthday. He clearly wanted me to marry someone other than Dimitri after that, so that I would break the conditions for the inheritance and he could most likely inherit everything as he was next of kin.

There was a light sadness in Edward's eyes and I wondered about it.

"Edward, tell me what's wrong?"

"I just wish that Carlisle could be there too…"

"I know…if you want we can ask him." I felt bad because I had my whole family here, but Edward had no one. I know even with all the turmoil they had recently, Edward loved his father.

"Bella…we really can't risk it. He's the one who was planning behind our back to break off your previous engagement. What's to say he'll not try to break this off too?"

"I know…" I hugged him tight. Then I had a thought.

"You know we could renew our vows or something later on when everything gets settled and have him there."

"I'd like that. You always know exactly what to say," Edward smiled and kissed the top of my head.

We were all seated around the living room having tea at my mother's insistence. The guys had gone back to La Push.

There was a hurried knock on our door and when I opened it Emmett rushed in.

"Congratulations, Edkins and future Mrs. Edkins!" He hugged us both to his giant frame and made everyone else laugh.

"Glad to have you here. How's everything back at home?" Edward asked patting Emmett on his back. Immediately, Emmett's happy demeanour changed to one of guilt.

"Well, er…there is…" Emmett suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Out with it Em, what are you hiding?" I could tell Emmett had done something that he felt guilty about.

"I er…might have told Rosalie about a wedding," Emmett said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" Both Edward and I said at the same time. This was so not good.

"I was talking to Seth about the wedding when Rosalie walked in on us. She wanted to know whose wedding we were talking about and I told her that Alice and Bella were getting married."

"What the hell is going on here? And why in god's name is Bella marrying Alice?" A gruff voice sounded from the doorway. I gasped when I saw who was standing in the doorway.

A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews :). Who do you think is in the doorway? What do you think of all the wedding arrangements?

Thank you, Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this story: ).


	22. Chapter 22 The Spanish Inquisition

**Chapter 22**

**The Spanish Inquisition **

**Edward's POV**

The whole place was a whirlwind of activity. I barely had time to register what was going on before I was handed out tasks to complete. I gladly kept myself occupied making arrangements for catering and photography. I also checked on security with Emmett. We'd be having Seth there to make sure everything went smoothly along with Emmett. We decided to let Rosalie believe that Alice and Bella were getting married tomorrow and leave it at that. She was going to take care of everything at the office in our absence. Jasper coordinated with Angela, informing her that he would be working from home tomorrow. Carlisle thought I was at Jasper's working from his place. Alice was still on leave, while Bella was on sick leave. I also made it a point to inform Angela of all the newest developments with Tanya. I was just finishing my call to Angela when Alice pulled me to the side.

"Edward, I have a great big favour to ask." Soulful pixie eyes stared at me. There was a hidden sadness there that I couldn't comprehend. I thought her wedding tomorrow would be a dream come true for her. I wondered why she would feel sad right now.

"What it is, Ally?" I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"Would you…would you give me away?" I was so humbled by her request that it took me a bit of time to process everything. It was only when I looked at her after a while that I realised I had not yet responded to her question. This time, pleading puppy dog eyes, brimming with tears stared back at me. She must have thought I was going to refuse.

"Of course, Ally! I'd be honoured to." I hugged the little pixie to my chest, messing her spiky black hair. She was the little sister I never had. I could feel her sobbing against my chest.

"I miss them, Ed. I miss them so much." I held her tightly against me. Alice had lost both her parents to a car accident when she was at university with us. She only had one living relative she knew of, who was a distant aunt who refused to acknowledge her, so the only family she had now was me and Jasper.

"I know, Ally, I know. You know I'm there for you, don't you? I'll always be there for you no matter what. Do you hear me? And now you will have Jasper for the rest of your life too."

I ran my hand through her spiky pixie hair, trying to console her. I saw Bella come down the stairs and look at me questioningly. It was only then that I realised how closely I was holding the pixie. But I was not going to let go. She needed me right now. Bella seemed to realise this, and she gave me a smile that said she understood. There was no censure in her glance or any suspicion. I was truly amazed at how much she trusted me and Alice both. Jasper wouldn't have given a second thought to me holding Alice, because he knew us. But for Bella, this is the first time she saw how close I was to the pixie. Alice looked up at that moment and saw Bella.

"Bella! Edward is giving me away!" She practically hurled herself into a very surprised Bella's arms.

"That's great, Alice." Bella looked at me over Alice's head and gave me a huge smile. I smiled back at her, relieved that she understood.

"Oh! And I have a big favour to ask you too, Bella," the pixie suddenly quipped.

"What's that?" Bella asked. I could see the worried look on Bella's face. You never knew what Alice wanted.

"Will you be my maid of honour?"

"Sure." Bella smiled at a now ecstatic Alice, who gave her another big hug.

"Alice, would you be my bridesmaid? I'm having Jake as my maid of honour." I shuddered at the thought of Jacob in a dress. I sincerely hoped he was not a cross-dresser.

"Oh! I would love to! This is going to be so great! Do you think he'll agree to be my bridesmaid too?" Holy shit! Imagine Jacob being a cross-dresser and wearing a dress that Alice chose for her bridesmaid!

"Let's ask." Bella pulled Alice along as she went looking for Jacob.

It was late afternoon by the time we sat in the living room having tea. Things were a bit peaceful until Emmett turned up with his news, and things got really chaotic when an angry male voice I didn't recognise called out from the doorway.

"_What the hell is going on here? And why in God's name is Bella marrying Alice?"_

I turned toward the doorway, and there stood a formidable looking man in a cop's uniform with his hand on his gun. I saw his eyes roam around the room, taking everyone in, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He was in full cop-mode, studying the enemy. His silent and watchful glance analysed everyone with a shrewdness and intelligence I admired. He narrowed his eyes at Jacob. His face relaxed when he met Alice's eyes, but suddenly his eyes grew huge and dangerous, turning back to his daughter's. No doubt about what brought that on; he didn't like his little girl marrying another woman however-much he liked her. I knew he was Charlie Swan, the Chief of Police in Forks, and Bella's father from the protective stance he took facing Bella.

"I asked a question, young lady, why are you marrying Alice? What about Jacob?" He turned questioning eyes at Jacob who was nicely lounging on the sofa with a huge piece of cake, munching on it as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Chill, Charlie, all is cool." He stuffed another piece of cake in his face. Charlie huffed in annoyance. It was obvious that Jacob was used to Charlie's temper and wasn't scared of him like the rest of us.

"Don't tell me what is cool! I may have tolerated my girl marrying her best friend, although he swings the other way, but I really want to know why she would suddenly decide to join him and bat for the same team." He glared at Jacob, who just smiled at him, shrugging his shoulder and continuing to munch on his cake.

"Dad, I can explain," Bella cut in. Charlie gave her a death glare, and Bella shuddered.

"I'm not marrying Alice, I…I'm marrying Edward," Bella stammered. Charlie's eyebrows rose in surprise, and his eyes roamed around looking at Jasper, Emmett and me, shooting daggers at each of us. Suddenly, I was very much afraid he wouldn't like me. I really wanted this man's approval.

"I'm, Edward." I moved forward, offering my hand, which Charlie ignored. Shit! Bella moved to my side and took hold of my arm hugging herself to me. I pulled her closer, putting an arm around her.

"So, you are the Edward she screams for in her nightmares. Where were you all this time?" Charlie gave me another death glare. It was obvious he was trying to intimidate me.

"I was in Italy, trying to stop Bella from marrying Dimitri." At this, Charlie's demeanour suddenly changed and he relaxed a bit. I hadn't realised how tense he had been all this time until he did that.

"Charlie, honey, would you like some coffee?" Renee's voice rang out from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Sure, make it black." Charlie heaved a sigh, running a hand through his head. "Explain…" was all he said.

Bella started relaying the story of how she thought we'd broken up because of her infertility and her resulting trip home. I then told him that I had somehow learned that she was engaged to be married to Dimitri, and that I'd rushed to Italy looking for her.

"I love your daughter, sir. And wish to marry her. I would have married her sooner or later even without this inheritance issue." Bella looked at me and smiled, and I couldn't help returning it. Our declarations of love were still so new, and it felt wonderful to say it out loud.

"Well, young man, I can see that you are Bella's choice and we don't have much time. So I hope you are sincere in this. I however, am very sceptical about your motives for suddenly wanting to marry my daughter. I gather that you proposed only after hearing about the inheritance?"

"Yes, sir." This looked bad. He was right to point it out.

"Well, we don't have much of a choice, do we now? So I would have to insist you sign a pre-nup before the marriage. I want to protect my daughter's interests." He looked pointedly at me.

"Dad! He will do no such thing," Bella huffed. Charlie glared at her.

"Of course, sir. I understand." And I did. The situation did make me look like a gold-digger. I cringed at the thought.

"So you are getting married tomorrow?" Charlie ignored both Bella's outburst and my acquiescence and looked at me.

"No, sir, not tomorrow." His eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Alice and Jasper are getting married tomorrow, and we are tying the knot on Sunday." Charlie once again looked at Alice, and then the corners of his mouth turned up in the first smile of the evening.

"Yes, I'm getting married, Charlie! I'm so excited." To my horror, Alice launched herself into Charlie's arms.

"I'm glad, little one." And to my surprise, his smile grew even bigger as he awkwardly patted her back.

"Who is the lucky man?" Charlie turned around, looking at the remaining two single men in the room. His smiled turned into a frown as he looked at Emmett. Clearly he didn't like this hulk of a man to marry the tiny pixie.

"Jasper Whitlock, sir." Jasper got up from his chair and shook Charlie's hand.

"Congratulations to you both." Alice went to Jasper's side and they sat back down. Charlie took a seat on the recliner which was clearly his chair. I moved to the sofa with Bella and sat down as well.

"And Edward's going to give me away." Alice beamed at me.

"Ah, Edward." Charlie turned back to me.

"So, young man, how do you know Alice and Bella?"

"I work with them. Jasper and Emmett also work with me." I gestured to Emmett, and Charlie nodded at him. Charlie was a bit taken back by the huge grin that Emmett gave him in return. Emmett could look very formidable when he was cautious and in full operational security mode, but when he relaxed and smiled, his whole face transformed into one of a harmless puppy dog.

"I see. So what is your background?"

"I did my studies in business management."

"He was at university with us." Alice chirped in. This seemed to pacify Charlie. It was clear she had completely won him over during her stay with Bella.

"Are you able to provide a decent living for my girl?"

"I'll take care of her, sir." I smiled down at Bella but she was glaring at Charlie.

"What? A man should be able to provide for his wife." Charlie looked pointedly at her.

"I can take care of myself," Bella huffed.

"I know you can, love." I put my arm around Bella again, and she finally smiled up at me and rested her head against my shoulder. Charlie glared at her. He clearly didn't like me this close to his daughter.

"So what do your parents think about this marriage?" Charlie turned to me again, and I gulped. How was I going to explain why Carlisle won't be at the wedding?

"Er…it's complicated," I stammered.

"Explain…" Once again, that dreaded word that asked for so much.

"My father doesn't actually know that we are going out. We didn't tell him yet."

"Why not?" Charlie sounded suspicious.

"I mean no disrespect to her, sir. It's just that at the moment, it kind of seems like the best course of action."

"And why is that young man?" We were facing the Spanish inquisition!

"Because… I dated his father, okay?" Bella burst out before I could explain, and we heard a gasp from the doorway to the kitchen. Renee stood there, white as a sheet.

"Bella!" She looked horrified. I knew how this looked to her. Dating both father and son! Shit!

"How could you, Bella? I thought we raised you better than this. My God! His father! And now him!" Charlie's stern voice rang out. He had lost his calm and now held his head in his hands, not looking at any of us.

"It was a mistake, okay? I really didn't know much about him, and when he asked me to a company dinner, I said yes. I couldn't very well snub my boss!" Bella continued with her rant.

"Wait a minute, your boss?" Charlie raised his face, red with anger.

"Yes! I couldn't refuse, Carlisle, now could I? And I never in a million years thought he'd ask me out, so I didn't have any time to come up with a good way to refuse him," Bella stated the obvious.

"Carlisle! Carlisle… as in Carlisle Cullen? Are you out of your mind, girl! And…and you are okay with this?" Charlie suddenly levelled his glance at me.

"I…I'm sorry, Dad," Bella's bottom lip trembled, and I could tell she felt awful, specially about my feelings because she looked at me when she said she was sorry. I leaned down and kissed the top of Bella's head.

"It was only once, and she spent the better part of that date with me. In fact, that was the first day I met her. So I'll always be thankful to Carlisle for introducing her to me." I smiled down at my angel again and looked at Charlie defiantly. I didn't want him further upsetting my Bella. Bella was suddenly blushing, and I realised she was remembering that very special night she had spent with me.

"My God! He's your father… that means you are…" Charlie cringed. "You are Edward Cullen." It was then that I realised that none of us had properly introduced me to him.

"Yes."

"So…so I suppose you have no need to marry Bella for her inheritance." Charlie turned purple. To my surprise, he looked embarrassed.

"No, sir. Like I told you before, I love your daughter and I'm marrying her for love." I gave Charlie the look I sometimes gave to errant co-workers who dared to question me. The haughty Cullen look, as Bella loved to call it.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that. Welcome to the family, son." And to my great astonishment, he got up from his chair, offering his hand to me. I stood up and smiled as I shook his hand. It was good to finally have his approval. At that moment, I couldn't help thinking about Carlisle. I wished I could have had my father's blessing as well.

**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews:). We've got 479 reviews and we are nearing the 500 mark! Wow! That's amazing! Do you think we can reach 500 at the end of this chapter? Review and let's see. So now we've added Chief Swan into the mix. What did you think of him? Do you think they should tell Charlie about everything that is going on? Was it a good decision to keep Rosalie in the dark about the marriage between Edward and Bella? Do you think they should have told her the truth? **

**A big thank you to Twimarti and Dazzleglo :). **


	23. Chapter 23 Explanations

**Chapter 23**

**Explanations **

**Edward's POV**

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Can I have some of your chocolate cake, Mrs. Er… Bella's mom?" Em smiled his most endearing smile with his dimples showing. Shit! I'd forgotten to properly introduce him to the rest of them.

"Renee, meet Emmett McCarty, head of security at Cullen Enterprises. Em, meet Mrs. Renee Swan." I looked at Charlie. I guess I didn't need to introduce him to Emmett.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Swan. Now, can I have some of that delicious looking cake?" The dimpled smile made another appearance.

"Em! Manners!" Alice scolded him. But she only got her hair ruffled for her trouble. She huffed in indignation and Jasper chuckled along with the rest of us, earning him a death glare from the pixie. He quickly started patting her hair down to make it look neat again. As if you could ever make her spiky hair neat.

"Go ahead. Would you like some coffee?" Renee offered.

"I think he'd prefer the hot chocolate, Renee." I smiled knowing how much Em loved chocolate.

"Make that two mugs. I'm thirsty," Em's garbled voice replied while he shovelled chocolate cake in his mouth. He really was a chocoholic. I remembered all the dough-nuts he eats.

"Em! Manners!" This time, I couldn't help blurting it out. For goodness sake, I wanted to make a good impression on my future in-laws. And it didn't help my cause with the head of security at Cullen Enterprises, which was a very distinguished and dignified post by the way, sitting there munching on chocolate cake like there was no tomorrow. I was afraid to look at Charlie, who was a cop himself. What must he think of my business acumen for hiring Em for the post? He didn't know Em like I did.

"Go ahead, Emmett. A man needs his energy—especially to catch the bad guys." Chief Swan chuckled as he picked up a piece of cake for himself.

"Talking about bad guys, Ed, Tanya received a personal call from overseas." Em managed to blurt out in between his munching.

"Was it from Italy?" We had everyone's full attention, including Chief Swan's, who had a frown on his face.

"No, from France."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing much. Let me play it for you." Em pulled out his phone and tapped.

"_Hello dear, how are you doing?" _A woman's voice with a thick French accent came over the line.

"_I'm good." _I recognised Tanya's voice.

"_Did you manage to get it?"_

"_Not yet."_

"_Oh, honey, keep trying, I know you can do it."_

"_Yeah, I guess so." _

"_So did you get those shoes you wanted?"_

"_No, they didn't have my size. But I found this gorgeous dress…" _

Em cut off the call at that.

"The rest of it is all about shopping and fashion and stuff. It's obvious it's a girlfriend of hers. The first part sounded a bit suspicious, but when you listen to the rest…it just sounds like they are just talking about girly stuff," Em explained.

"I agree. And they seem to be close friends."

"Who is Tanya? Why are you listening to private conversations?" The Chief inquired.

"Tanya is Carlisle's assistant. I didn't tap that phone. It was the secret service who did it," Emmett said in his defence. And by that, I knew he meant Rose or Seth.

"Does that mean you tap other phone lines?" The Chief was very good. He picked up on the fact that Em had said he didn't tap that particular phone, meaning he may have tapped others.

"Well, I'm tapping Ed's phone." Em casually stated focusing more on the cookies that Renee offered, than what he was telling everyone.

"What the hell? Do you know about this? That your head of security is tapping your phone?" Charlie seethed.

"Yes," was my timid reply. What exactly could I say to that?

"What kind of an operation are you running, young man?" Oh dear, we were back to young man… so not good.

"Let me explain. Carlisle asked me to tap Ed's phone. And of course, Ed has his own private phone which he uses to call Bella and the rest of us." He said like it was an every-day occurrence to have my phone tapped by my father. It had of course happened before, but to an outsider it looked bad.

"Wait a minute! Why is Carlisle tapping his own son's phone?" This time the chief sounded suspicious.

"That's the thing we don't know. He suspects Bella of industrial espionage, and he's got a private investigator masquerading as her assistant to spy on her. She really is a secret service agent, who is actually spying on Cullen partners, which by the way Carlisle doesn't know. That secret agent, whose name is Rosalie, was about to shoot Emmett when Edward saved him because she thought Emmett told Carlisle about Bella and me. And that was why Carlisle caught Bella and me kissing in the car park. Which was Edward's idea, or was it? No, I think it was Bella, who wanted to make it look real. Anyway, we told Esme. Oh! And I almost forgot, Carlisle's also got Edward's office bugged, and both Edward and Bella are being tailed by the Cullen Enterprise's security team at his request." The pixie talked non-stop. Even I, who knew exactly what was going on, found it difficult to follow. I could see Chief Swan getting more and more agitated with every additional detail Alice managed to blurt out.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell is going on? Bella! I thought you were not into girls!" Trust the chief to catch the one thing that I sincerely hoped he would not hear.

"No! I'm not!" Bella shouted back.

"Then what the hell were you doing kissing Alice? And in front of that man Carlisle? What about Edward…and" he looked at Jasper pointing to him with his hand.

"I was just trying to discourage him from asking me out on another date. I also wanted to make sure he didn't suspect I was dating Edward. At the time, the company had a non-fraternisation policy so I also wanted to help keep Alice's relationship with Jasper a secret. So it was in a manner of speaking killing three birds with one stone."

"And believe me it was one hell of a good act! They sure fooled me for a second there," Em laughed out loud. Alice and Bella both blushed a delicate shade of red.

"It's not Bella's fault. Honestly, Charlie, it's all that man Aro's doing! He's the one who wants Carlisle to marry Bella!" Alice blurted out trying to defend Bella. This time the poor chief of police buried his head in his hands, and I saw Renee sink down on the sofa next to Bella.

"Explain." The chief finally looked up, and this time turned to me with his usual one word request. So I explained everything in detail, giving all the facts.

"Thank you, Edward. For a moment there, I thought I'd stepped into a mad house." The chief chuckled, shaking his head at Alice and Emmett.

"You are welcome, sir. So that was part of the reason we don't want to invite Carlisle to the wedding or tell him about Bella and me. I don't want Aro to know about it."

"I understand." I saw the Chief slightly relax for the first time since he stepped over the threshold.

"We've also got the problem with Tanya and her spying. We still don't know who sent her, though we suspect Aro for that as well. I don't think Carlisle is involved in that part, though." I sighed.

"I agree. Carlisle would have no reason to steal his own documents. Do you think I can have a look at some of the video footage? I haven't seen Aro in ages."

"I think that's a very good idea, sir. Having someone from outside with a fresh eye looking at this might give us clues we may have overlooked. We are all too invested in this whole situation. Em, could you connect to our network?"

"Sure, Ed." Emmett managed to hook up his laptop to the Swan's flat-screen so that we could all watch the footage.

"Hold on a second. Pause for a bit. That girl looks familiar," Renee suddenly said while we were going through the footage from my office.

"Do you have a close up?"

"Here, let me show you her employee identity card photo." With the press of a few buttons, Tanya's smiling face filled the television screen.

"Do you know her?" I was very excited. It would mean that Tanya had some connection to Italy if Renee knew her.

"No, I don't. I'm sorry. But she looked really familiar in the video, I mean the way she moved and all that. But I've never seen this girl in my life."

"She could have been a child when you last saw her."

"No, none of my cousins had kids at the time. I think Caius adopted Dimitri after I left."

Another dead end I was very disappointed.

"Who is monitoring things over there while you are here?" the chief asked.

"Rosalie is there, along with Seth. Seth is also from the secret service, and he knows about everything. Rose, on the other hand, thinks I'm marrying Alice." Bella chuckled. Charlie threw his hands up in exasperation, shaking his head.

"I'm never going to understand my daughter." He sighed.

"Join the club." I laughed out loud, and the chief joined me.

"I'm beat. Let's get back to La Push. We have plenty of space for everyone." Jacob pulled my arm, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I groaned. I really didn't want to go to his place to sleep. I was actually scared that he'd pull something in the middle of the night.

"I er…" I stood up, looking around desperately, trying to find an excuse. Bella was busy packing the leftover cake for the guys at La Push.

"We'll join you. I don't think we should check into a hotel or bed and breakfast where we can be traced back here—the less people who know about this, the better." Em collected his duffel bag from the floor.

"I know—guess I'll sleep at La Push too, Ally. They say the groom shouldn't see his bride before the wedding on the wedding day." Jazz got up after placing a kiss on the pouting pixie's forehead.

"So…Eddie, you could share my bed." Jacob put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. Holy shit! I was going to get molested. Where was Bella?

"I…I mean…thank you…but you see…" I stammered and looked at my friends for help, but the big oaf and my assistant were both grinning like idiots at my discomfort.

"Edward, you are staying here—right on this sofa, and no funny business sneaking upstairs." I smiled in relief at the unlikely source of help in the form of Chief Swan. I'm beginning to like this man.

"And Jake, I'd appreciate it if you did not molest my future son-in-law. I don't want you to scare him away before he signs the papers, kiddo. You can try again after he finishes with the official stuff and before he gets the chance to go off on his honeymoon." He chuckled, patting Jacob's back. Well, damn!

"Dad! No one kidnaps Edward after the wedding. He's mine. You know I know karate, don't you? And Jake, you do remember what happened to your er…certain assets, the last time you tried something don't you?" Suddenly the goofy grin on Jacob's face was replaced by one of horror, and he placed a hand in front of his cock protectively, backing off toward the doorway.

"Er, see you tomorrow, Bella and er…Edward." He quickly turned away, running towards his car. Jazz and Em followed, howling with laughter.

"What was that about?" I couldn't help asking Bella.

"Well, I may have er…made a hit on some crown jewels when he challenged me to a fight right after I learned Karate." Holy shit! Bella knows Karate? My surprise must have shown on my face, because Chief Swan patted my back on his way back into the house.

"You don't know what you are getting into, son," I faintly heard him mutter as he passed me. Shit!

"Don't worry, Edward. I would never hurt my favourite part of you…but remember, if I ever hear that he'd been visiting with others, I will…let's say give it a nice chop." I gulped, swallowing hard. I heard the trilling laughter of the pixie join in with Bella's. It was only Chief Swan who looked at me with some sympathy. Guess he knew how important a certain body part was to a man.

Alice and Bella got back into the wedding planning mode, and we were kept busy with last minute details for tomorrow's wedding for the rest of the night. We had a quiet dinner, and then I reluctantly kissed Bella good night before she and Alice went upstairs. Chief Swan and Renee followed. Bella had made up the sofa for me with a large comforter and bed sheets. I washed and put on a T-shirt and a pair of loose shorts for the night and lay down on the sofa. Two more nights, and Bella would be mine.

I was almost asleep when I felt something heavy land on top of me. Purely on instinct, I reached for the gun I'd placed under the sofa. I had just pulled it out when I smelled a familiar scent. Then I heard a soft whisper in my ear.

"I want you, Edward." Sweet lips pressed light kisses on my jaw line. I pulled her into a passionate kiss. I had missed her so much.

"I want you too, love, but your parents are upstairs. And your father said that I was not to do any funny business," I whispered back as I continued to lay small kisses all over her face.

"He told you not to sneak upstairs. He said nothing about me coming downstairs." The little minx giggled. I knew she was mincing his words, but I was fine with that.

"Mmm…so let me get this straight—you think it's alright for me to ravish my fiancée, who also happens to be the only daughter of the Chief of Police, on his own living room sofa, while he is asleep upstairs?" Bella raised her head and nodded it emphatically, then moved her hips on my growing erection.

"I'm just exercising my fiancée rights. It's a free country." Bella murmured while reaching underneath my t-shirt to run her hands over my chest. I could barely breath.

"What are these fiancée rights?" I managed to blurt out, but when she moved once more against my hard-on, I was lost. _Who was I to deny her?_

I pulled Bella back down, kissing her deeply. I reached down, trying to find a way to run my hands under her top but couldn't seem to find the bottom seam. Bella giggled once more, raising herself up and pulling her clothes up a bit, placing my hand on her naked thigh. It's then that I realised she was wearing a nightdress. My breath caught at the thought of what she would look like in it. I couldn't see much because all the lights were turned out.

"Easy access," she whispered in my ear.

Oh, God! My innocent angel was very naughty. I moved my hand slowly upwards over her silky thigh and met with the barrier of her panties. At least she was wearing panties. I traced a line up her side, over her hip, until I reached her breasts, squeezing softly. Bella bit me on my neck when I did that. I couldn't help moaning out loud. Shit! I had to keep it down. I didn't want the chief pointing a gun at me. We were both still covered by the comforter. Hopefully, even if someone walked in on us, they would not be able to see what we were doing under the sheets.

I felt Bella move a bit, running her hand briefly on my lower abdomen. She stopped when she reached the band of my shorts. Her hesitation was endearing; even after all this time, she was still shy.

"Touch me, Bella." It was sweet agony to have her hand so close to me, and yet not touching. I reached down, placing my hand over hers, pushing it under the waist band of my shorts. I groaned at the feel of her soft hand caressing me. Bella buried her face in my shoulder. I loved my shy angel. She was bold enough to come down and try to seduce me, but she was still so shy to take such simple liberties as touching me.

"Oh! God, Bella…so good." I slowly pulled Bella's panties aside, stroking her softness.

"So wet for me, angel..." Bella whimpered at the feel of my touch.

"Shh…" I reached up, kissing her.

"Edward…more…" She was ready for me, I could feel it. I pushed my pants down and slowly raised Bella up. She knew what I wanted and slowly lowered herself on to me. I hissed in pleasure as her soft, slick folds surrounded me in their warmth.

Bella's nails dug in to my back as we slowly moved against each other. It was so good to be with her this way again.

It didn't take long for our movements to become quick and erratic.

"I'm close, love."

It was too good. I wasn't going to last much longer.

"Edward, touch me." I ran my hand down to where we were joined rubbing her bundle of nerves. It didn't take much for her to pulse around me, taking me over the edge with her. I muffled our cries by kissing her passionately.

"I love you, sweetheart," I whispered against her lips.

"I love you too, Edward," my angel whispered back.

After holding her for some time, I tried to pull out.

"Edward, I want to feel you in me for a just a little bit longer." I held still, kissing her again. I felt her breathing grow steady, and my angel fell asleep right on top of me. I didn't want to wake her up just yet. She felt too good against me. I'll just let her snuggle against me for a little bit longer. It was the last thought I had, and I must have fallen asleep after that because the next thing I heard was Renee's voice calling us.

"Bella, I think you should get up before your father comes down. Good morning, Edward. Hope you slept well."

Shit! We were caught red-handed. I was thankful that Renee didn't seem to mind much that Bella had spent the night with me on the couch.

"Yes. Thank you. Good morning, Renee." A sleepy-looking Bella opened one eye against me then suddenly sat up, her face turning bright red.

"Bella, help me make some breakfast for our guests," Renee called out from the kitchen.

"Sure, Mom," a very guilty-sounding Bella responded.

"And honey, better get off Edward. You never know—Charlie might just like to get in some target practise. And I like Edward too much to let that happen to him." Bella looked horrified. She quickly got off me and pulled her robe on.

"Oops! Sorry I fell asleep." I could tell her apology was half-hearted. My girl really was not sorry about seducing me last night.

"Looks that way…" I chuckled.

I pulled my shorts up. I was hard again after seeing Bella in her short, white nightdress. Last night, I had only felt it. Just then, we heard heavy footsteps on the stairs, and Bella rushed into the kitchen. I heard Renee's laugh. I really liked Bella's mother. She was so easy going, unlike the chief.

I heard Chief Swan's footsteps near the bottom of the stairs. Shit! I was in no position to get up just yet. I quickly turned on to my front hiding my erection. Hopefully, he won't wonder why I didn't get up.

"Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning, sir." I smiled at the chief rubbing my eyes, pretending that I had just got up.

Then suddenly his eyes grew huge as he leaned down near the sofa, pulling out my gun. I had pulled it half out last night when Bella came down, thinking it was an intruder.

"What's this?" He frowned as he held up my weapon. Oh! Shit! Guess I should have informed the chief that I was armed.

**A/N: I've got great news! We've reached 500 reviews for this story! Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! Wow! You are all so amazing! As a thank you I'll send everyone who reviewed a short write-up from Emmett's POV. Thank you, Dazzleglo for coming-up with Em's POV. I'm putting the finishing touches on it now and will send it over as soon as it's ready. **

**A big thank you to Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter:)**


	24. Chapter 24 The Beach Wedding

**Chapter 24**

**The Beach Wedding**

**Edward's POV**

"_Good morning, Edward."_

"_Good morning, sir." I smiled at the chief, rubbing my eyes and pretending that I had just got up. _

_Suddenly, his eyes grew huge as he leaned down near the sofa, pulling out my gun. I had pulled it half out last night when Bella came down, thinking it was an intruder. _

"_What's this?" He frowned as he held up my weapon. Oh! Shit! Guess I should have informed the chief that I was armed. _

"I brought it with me just in case." I decided to be honest about it. I knew Charlie must be worried about the Volturi by now. Thank god he didn't notice what else I'm armed with. The big problem in my pants was fast becoming a little problem. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Do you know how to use it?" Before I could reply, Bella walked in with coffee for the chief and me.

"He was trained by the secret service." Bella gave me a smug smile. The chief looked impressed.

"You worked for the secret service?"_ Er…no._

"No. Emmett trained Jasper and me."

"And he used his training to take a weapon right out of the hand of a secret service agent," Bella said. She was very obviously boasting.

"Let me guess. Was it when Rosalie tried to shoot Emmett?" The chief chuckled. I nodded my head now, very embarrassed.

"Well, I'm glad you can protect my daughter." The chief put the gun down on the coffee table and turned to go toward the kitchen.

"What would you two like for breakfast? I'm thinking of making pancakes." Wow, Bella can cook. Well, at least make pancakes. I realised how little I really knew about her.

"Sure, I'd love some. Do you need any help?" The chief looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

"Edward can cook," Bella said as she smiled proudly at me. I guess she remembered how I had tried to make dinner for her on our disastrous non-date.

"That's good to know. Well, I can't even boil an egg!" The chief chuckled. "But I do great at dialling the diner for takeout." I laughed along with him. I couldn't help being surprised at how easy-going the chief can be at times.

"I'm off to get the cooking done before Alice gets downstairs. She's doing a facial right now." Bella walked off toward the kitchen.

_I think I know what a facial is. Wonder whether Bella does any? And what does it entail, exactly?_ I have seen some green goo splattered all over faces on TV shows. That doesn't seem like something she would do. I would know soon enough, if I ever get to live with her. I still haven't come up with a way to live with Bella after we get married.

"I know you have got Bella to carry a weapon too. I think it was a good idea, especially with all that is happening." I gave the chief a meaningful glance.

"Yes. I always knew the Volturi were going to be trouble. Renee was Marcus's only daughter. I was sure he was going to come after us one day. That is why I made sure that Renee and Bella could both defend themselves in case the need arises," he sighed. I could tell this man carried a huge burden on his shoulders.

"I understand."

"I think with everything happening right now with the inheritance, you should be on your guard all the time. I know that Aro and Caius have connections to the Italian mob."

"Really? I didn't know that. I have to let Emmett know about this."

The situation was worse than I had initially thought. It was no longer a family affair if the mob got involved. I guess Carlisle's decision of having my security follow me and Bella around was a good idea. We may have even unknowingly thwarted possible attempts. I wonder whether he knew about this? He already had his own personal security detail. I had thought it was to maintain his privacy and discourage the paparazzi, but now I wonder whether Carlisle was trying to protect himself. Then what on earth was he doing dealing with Aro? What was the hold that Aro had over my father? Our company was doing well. But did Carlisle manage to do some shady deal that Aro knew about? The chief was talking to me again. I shook my head to clear it and sat up on the sofa. All this had made me lose my hard-on.

"I'll send you all the information I have on him. Please, Edward, take care of my daughter. She's all I've got." The same deep, chocolate brown eyes that I loved so much stared back at me, and the look was very intense. I realised this was where Bella had got her lovely eyes from.

"I know, sir. She means more to me than life itself. I'll do everything I can to keep her safe."

"And, Edward, please call me Charlie." The chief—or rather Charlie—grinned at me, and I smiled back at him. I was beginning to really like Charlie Swan.

Alice walked downstairs after that and gave me a big hug.

"Oh, Ed! I'm getting married today."

"Yes, you are. But what on earth have you done to your face? Is it something tribal that Jacob wanted you to do?" Alice's face was covered in mud. At least I think it was mud.

"It's a mud-mask. It's good for your skin. Do you want to try it?" I pulled back. There was no way I was going to let that stuff touch my face! Bella had no complaints about my looks, so I was not going to do anything crazy to try to improve them.

"Bella, would you like to put on a mask too?" Alice called out to Bella. Would Bella actually do it? I didn't know what to think of it.

"No. Thank you for asking, Alice. I think I'll just do a scrub. That should be enough."

What on earth was a scrub? I'm sure I've not heard of that one. I couldn't wait to find out more about my Bella. Did she also follow some sort of a beauty routine to stay so beautiful? I had always thought that her beauty came to her naturally. Her makeup was always light, and I was sure she had not been wearing any yesterday. And she'd looked adorable waking up in my arms this morning. I had never spent the entire night with a woman. I never felt the need. Yesterday was the first time. I really had to find a way to sleep with Bella after marriage. I couldn't handle it if our time together was going to be limited to office hours again.

I had put on my suit and was waiting downstairs for the others. Charlie was the first to make an appearance. He grumbled about having to wear a suit. Renee was next with a nice dress.

"Oh, sweetie! You look so handsome." Then to my surprise she reached for my tie, adjusting it.

"There, that looks perfect." She grinned at me while dusting away some unseen lint from my suit jacket. Was this how my mother would have taken care of me if she had been alive? How I wished I could have her with me for my wedding.

Bella and Alice both came down together. I was in shock when I saw their clothes. It really did look like they were in Mardi Gras costumes. I saw Charlie's lips tightening in dislike, and Renee giggled. I just tried to shut my mouth. However, I was sure my jaw was hanging open.

"Do you like it, Ed?" Alice's beaming smile finally brought me back to earth.

"Er…yeah…it's unusual…unique. Very colourful. I'm sure it will go well with the decor." It surely would considering the décor would be comprised of Jacob's colourful scarves and flowers.

The pixie flew down into my arms. "Thank you, Ed!"

"You are welcome, and you always look pretty, Ally, no matter what you wear." I placed a kiss on her forehead.

When I pulled back, I took a moment to look at my Bella, who was now standing at the bottom of the staircase. She would look good in anything. And this dress was very short, leaving her gorgeous legs bare. It took me a moment to realise there was something familiar about Bella's dress and Alice's.

"Your dresses…they look…" I started to say, but Renee beat me to it.

"Did you cut off the bottom half of your dress and make a skirt for Bella out of it, Alice?" Renee asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Renee…yeah, well sort of. We didn't have time to make a new dress from scratch, and we didn't have much material left either. Luckily, Bella's original wedding dress had butterfly sleeves, so she managed to make the top part of her dress out of it. Anyway, I wanted a sleeveless dress," the pixie explained.

I kept looking at Bella and then Alice incredulously. So they've made two dresses out of one. This was taking innovation and creativeness to the extreme. Both dresses were without sleeves, and Alice's one had a deep 'V' neck. There were flowers sewn on the waistline in different colours. I sincerely hoped Jazz would like it. Bella's dress was more covered on top and didn't have flowers sewn on. Both dresses were knee-length. They were both wearing flowers on their heads—Alice with a ring of flowers and Bella with a single flower tucked behind her ear. I wanted to kiss her there. She looked so beautiful.

"I'm so glad Bella knows how to sew—we wouldn't have been able get things done this quick if we had to deal with a seamstress." Alice's chirpy voice was talking non-stop going into details about what they did with the dresses. My girl was very talented. She knew how to cook and now, she knew how to sew as well. And let's not forget the Karate. I wondered what else she knew.

"Well, I must say you've done a great job." I couldn't help praising them. It really was great, considering the limited amount of time and material they had. And I had to remind myself that this was Alice's wedding and she really did love colours. This was perfect from her point of view, so I was very happy for her.

"Ed, here." Alice tucked a small flower into my button hole. I had just heaved a sigh of relief when Alice continued.

"Jacob will give you your shawl—you have to put it around your neck. He insisted on the green to match your eyes, but I think a multi-coloured one would have been a better match with my dress." Alice frowned. _Oh! No! I'd prefer the green, if I had no choice but to wear a shawl. _

"I think Jasper should be the only one to wear a multi-coloured shawl to match your dress, Alice, since he's the groom." I sighed in relief when Bella came up with some very sound reasoning.

"Yes, you are right, I guess," the pixie reluctantly agreed.

"You look gorgeous, love." I pulled Bella to my side, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"And you look handsome." Bella snuggled against my side and I put an arm around her.

"Well, where's, Em? He's supposed to pick us up now."

We were all ready when Em arrived from La Push. His walk was a bit funny as he walked in through the door.

"What's wrong with you, Em? Did something happen?" I was a bit worried with everything that was going on. I sincerely hoped that Em had not been in a fight.

"I…er…had a bit of a…well, a beauty treatment done." Em gingerly sat himself on the living room sofa.

"What did you do, Em? I'll kill you if you've done whatever it is to Jazz!" The pixie was furious. If Jazz was going to walk like Em during the wedding and after with this painful-looking beauty treatment thing, Alice surely would kill Em.

"Hey, I was a good friend! I didn't want Jazz to go through something that we knew nothing about, so I volunteered to go first." Em sat back in the chair and winced.

"What did he do, Em? I think I have a faint idea. I'm so glad we kept Edward here. I'm going to kill Jacob if he has done what I think he has," Bella asked, red with anger.

"It's well… it's one of Jacob's waxing treatments." Em cringed when he remembered something, and I was wondering what kind of a wax he was talking about. I knew about Bazillion waxing and all that. Surely, he had not? Oh! My God!

"I thought as much." Bella sighed, and Charlie burst out laughing.

"Honestly, Bella, I had no idea what waxing was. I just thought it was some kind of a candle thing. I've heard that candle wax can be very pleasurable." Emmett looked miserable.

Holy shit! Was he talking about what I think he was? Did Jacob have his way with my two friends? But I couldn't believe that even with his muscles Jacob could really overpower Em and Jazz both, who were good fighters. Then another thought struck.

"Em, did you wax…er…" I looked at Bella, then at the rest of the room and blushed. Shit, that was so embarrassing. Em laughed out loud at that.

"He wanted to wax my balls, but I thought it best if he tried it on my upper thigh first. Unfortunately, there was no pleasure candles involved, and he poured some hot, sticky stuff he made on me. Then he pulled…man, that hurts! Now I have a red, burned out patch on my thigh. All smooth and hairless, soft as baby's skin, as Jacob put it. But I'm going to recommend it to the secret service to include it in their torture routine," Em said as he shuddered in remembrance.

"Shit! Em, that must have hurt. Didn't he even trim or prepare you for the pain?" Bella looked horrified.

"No, not really. And let me tell you, I had tears in my eyes, and I can't remember the last time I cried. I knocked him over and threw away the gooey stuff before he could harm anyone else. Man that stuff is lethal! Jazz decided not to have any beauty routines done on him. And Ed, I hate to admit this, but I'm actually glad you stayed behind. With Jacob's crush on you, there is no telling what he would have done to you." I shuddered at the thought.

"Guess… I did the right thing saving my future son-in-law!" Charlie grinned, patting my back.

"Oh, by the way Ed, Carlisle got a call from Aro, asking about you," Em said, as he painfully got to his feet again.

"What did he want to know?"

"We don't have time to go into details right now. He just wanted to know where you were. I'll play back the call to you after the wedding."

"Sure." I knew we had to concentrate on the wedding right now. If it was something important Em would have taken action.

When we arrived in La Push, everything was in place. The beach was more colourful than even I imagined, but to my surprise, it did not look gaudy. The colours did go with the surroundings; the sea as the background and the endless sandy beach providing a nice back-drop. There were no other notable colours to clash with the multi-coloured décor.

I sought out Jazz as soon as we got to the beach. He looked nervous, but very happy. Alice was hiding in the car till the ceremony. He had a blue suit on with a multi-coloured shawl draped over him.

"Jazz, er…you look amazing." Surprising was the word I would have used, but amazing sounded better.

"Don't I?" he grumbled.

"It does go with the décor, Jazz."

"I know, and I've lived with colours for a long time now. It's just that this is the first time I let her dress me like this! Does it look bad? Please be honest with me." I took a critical look at him. It actually didn't look that bad.

"Like I said before, it matches with the décor. I don't think you'd look nice in these surroundings, in a black suit." That was the colour I was wearing.

"Guess you are right." Jazz grinned.

"And you'll match your bride."

"How is she?" Jazz asked, concerned. He still hadn't been allowed to see her since she was hiding in the car.

"She's ecstatic," I laughed. And Jazz joined me in relief.

"Well, I'd best go to the arch now."

"Guess it's time." I smiled at him.

"Oh, by the way, Ed, you owe us big for last night."

"Believe me, I know." I shivered at the thought.

"Good luck, Jazz." I patted him on the back as he walked away.

Jacob ran toward me as soon as he saw me.

"Here's your shawl, Eddie." He draped it artfully around my neck, and I took my tie off. It clashed with the shawl. I think I looked like something out of the Arabian nights.

"Thanks, Jacob." I couldn't help smiling at him. He had made a huge effort to get things to match perfectly. He himself was wearing some kind of a tribal costume.

"It's a pity you didn't come with me last night, Eddie. We had so much fun. Did Em tell you about the waxing? You should get it done. I can do it for you. I'm sure Bella would love it. I really hate hair in unwanted places." He winked at me and to my embarrassment, I blushed.

"What's going on?" Bella quickly came to my side.

"Eddie needs to be waxed, Bella. He has hair all over him." Jacob pulled my hand and held it out to her, showing my forearm.

"Well, I think he looks sexy with the hair, and more manly." Bella gave me a secretive smile. I wondered what she was thinking about.

Jacob shuddered. "I love baby smooth skin. It's better with latex and toys." Jacob wriggled his eyebrows at me. Huh? What kind of toys was he talking about? Bella laughed at my expression of shock.

"Hey, do you want to see my toys? I have many. I especially love vibrators." Oh, Christ! I was right—he was talking about that type of toys.

I gulped. "Er…no, thank you."

"You should get one, Eddie. You never know how much pleasure one can give until you've used it." Jacob grinned along with Bella.

"Anyway, if you ever want to get waxed, come to me." Jacob winked at me as he walked away from us.

"Do you have toys, Edward?" Curious chocolate brown eyes stared up at me. Then the sweet girl blushed.

"Mmm… what do you think?" I decided to tease her. I didn't own any toys, but was more than eager to remedy that situation with Bella. Maybe we could shop for toys together. My hard-on was making another appearance.

"Er…" She hid her face against my chest.

"Well, I don't have any right now. But we could get some, if you want. I would love to try them with you," I added. I really did. I couldn't help leaning down and kissing my fiancée passionately.

Someone cleared their throat.

"It's time to walk the bride down the aisle," Charlie told me, giving me a disapproving glance. I didn't notice him there. I sincerely hoped the chief hadn't heard our conversation.

The guests were all sitting down now. Charlie walked away to be seated. I saw Jazz stand at the flower arch now decorated with colourful scarves blowing in the wind.

A calypso band started playing. I went to the car and helped Alice out as Bella started walking down the aisle with a multi-coloured bouquet of flowers in her hands. Alice carried another bouquet and held on tightly to my arm.

"You look gorgeous. Love you, Ally." I kissed the top of the pixie's head.

"Love you too, Ed. Thanks for giving me away." The pixie's eyes were brimming with tears. I knew she was remembering her parents.

"My pleasure, Ally," I said as I smiled down at her.

I stood up straight and we both walked toward the flower arch. I couldn't help smiling at the thought that the next time a bride-to-be walked down an aisle to get married, it will be my Bella, and I will be the one waiting at the end of the aisle for her. I watched as Bella took her place by the side of the arch. I knew from the beautiful smile that spread across her face as she met my eyes, that she was having the same thought. I saw the priest start the service and looked at the unconcealed love and happiness in both Jazz's and Ally's eyes. Then I met Bella's dark chocolate orbs again, and they held the same intense love for me. Love—it was a beautiful thing.

**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews. So what do you think of Alice's and Bella's creative dress making? And what about the call Carlisle got from Aro? And er…what do you think of Em's beauty treatment? **

**I'll send the short Em's POV to everyone who reviewed the last chapter as promised. Thank you Dazzleglo for it. A big thank you to Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter. **


	25. Chapter 25 A Treat for the Eye

**Chapter 25**

**A Treat for the Eye**

**Edward's POV**

"Jesus Christ! You've got to be kidding me!"

I turned to Bella, wondering who she was shouting at, and froze in shock.

_Holy cow! _

I stared…gulped and then stared some more at the confection that I finally recognised as Jacob, gracing the front doorway. I was sure my jaw was hanging open.

Jacob Black stood there posing with one hand behind his head and the other at his waist holding a thin, transparent, midnight blue shawl as he displayed the dress he was wearing. It was short up to his knees and sleeveless, with a full flowing skirt. He looked ridiculous in it with his bulging biceps pouring out of the dress. He had even put on fake boobs! And he was wearing makeup. _Were those fake eye lashes that he fluttered at me? _I blinked, trying to make sure I was not hallucinating.

I could hear whistles and catcalls from outside. The other Quileute guys must have come with Jacob.

"Ta da," he said as he twirled around. The skirt lifted, showing purple boxers underneath. I really wished I hadn't seen that.

"Good God!" Renee came out of the kitchen and put a hand over her mouth in shock.

"What's up guys…"Em, asked as he followed her, munching on a hamburger which promptly fell out of his hands.

"F*ck me." And then he started laughing hysterically. By this time, Jazz had joined him.

"You might want to change your shoes to match the dress." Charlie, who followed Jazz out of the kitchen to join the onlookers, was kind enough to advise him.

"Oh, I tried to order matching heels, the same as Alice ordered, but they didn't have my size. I guess I'll have to try to paint these or something…" Jacob looked thoughtfully at his purple running shoes. _At least they matched the underwear_. Shit! Did I really think that? What's wrong with me? All this craziness must be affecting me.

"Don't you dare…" Bella, who had been running frustrated hands through her hair, finally spoke up.

"Do you think I look sexy, Eddie?" Jacob completely ignored Bella's outburst and turned to me. I didn't dare to open my mouth. Any response from me would just encourage him.

"Oh, you look hot, Jacob. And I'm sure Edkins, here, thinks so too. Maybe you should wear a wig. Your hair doesn't match with the dress," Em suggested very helpfully. I glared at him. He had the audacity to shrug at me.

"But Alice has short hair as well…" Jacob grumbled.

"I have what?" the pixie asked as she came down the stairs. She and Jazz had insisted that they didn't want a honeymoon as they wanted to be here to help us prepare for the wedding tomorrow. They had spent the night at a little cottage on the Quileute reservation. We had not made any hotel reservations in the vicinity of Forks, since we did not want to draw attention to ourselves. Bella and I had finally agreed to them being with us today, under the condition that they would let us give them a fully paid honeymoon in Europe after everything got sorted out. They had agreed after a lot of arguing. I had paid for the wedding, so they felt bad about me paying for the honeymoon as well. Then I had pointed out that I had given Ally away, so that meant I was her family, and that family members took care of each other. Ally had hugged me and cried after hearing this. I was glad to have her as my little sister. I was brought out of my day dreaming by an ear-piercing scream.

"What the hell are you doing in my dress?" Ally shrieked at Jacob.

It was then that I noticed that both Alice and Jacob were wearing identical dresses. It must be the maid of honour dress that Bella designed for Alice. Jacob had volunteered to sew the dress. She had brought the finished dress with her this morning when she came back from the reservation with Jazz. She must have just tried it on to check whether any adjustments needed to be done.

"Jacob Black, you are not going to come anywhere near my wedding dressed like that. Do you understand me?" Bella yelled at him.

Jacob's face fell.

"But…I thought it would be best if the maid of honour and the bridesmaid wore matching dresses," he reasoned.

"Get out of my dress," the pixie said, gritting her teeth in anger.

"Jacob, take it off," Bella said as she moved forward threateningly. She looked fierce. I hoped Bella never looked like that at me. She really had a bad temper. I moved closer to her. I really didn't want poor Jacob to be injured. I understood how desperately he must have wanted to wear that dress. He must be having a fetish for dressing in drag.

"Okay, okay…just…hold on…" He dropped the midnight-blue shawl and started taking off his dress right in front of us all. I quickly averted my glance as I saw Jacob's eyes seeking mine. No way was I going to watch him do a striptease for me. Suddenly, I heard two cracking sounds and I turned back toward Jacob, worried that he might have got injured in some way. But Bella hadn't moved. Everyone, including her, was staring at two coconut shells on the floor.

"What the f*ck?" Em bent down and picked one up, chuckling. Jacob, who had stripped to his waist, actually blushed.

"I er… couldn't find a bra so I…just…you know…" His blush became deeper.

It was then that I figured out that he had used coconut shells as fake boobs. Now it was my turn to burst out laughing. I just couldn't help it. Bella, and finally Alice, joined in along with everyone else.

"I…what the hell. It is funny." Jacob actually joined in the laughter. He didn't seem to mind that it was at his expense. He really was good natured.

"Just take the damn thing off, Jake. We've still got so much to do." Bella finally broke up the laughter. Jacob made a move to remove his boxers along with the skirt. And suddenly I was blind. Bella was covering my eyes with her hands.

"For heaven's sake, leave the boxers on," I heard Bella say in a menacing voice.

"What? Are you jealous, Bells? Why don't you want Eddie to have a look at the goods? I do have an impressive package." Jacob joked. The boy knew no bounds. The others started laughing again.

"You are seriously testing my patience. You will not have a package to talk about if you do not do as I say right now. Do you hear me?" Bella screamed waving her hands at Jacob. I was finally able to see again.

"What is going on in here?" Seth, who had just arrived, asked, coming out of the downstairs washroom. He took one look at the scene and back-tracked.

"Do I even want to know?" He shook his head disbelievingly.

"No!" everyone else answered.

He grinned at Jacob. "You do look kind of cute in the skirt. Pity I missed seeing you in the whole dress."

"I thought you were straight?" Jazz raised his eyebrows questioningly at Seth.

"Keep guessing." Seth wriggled his eyebrows. No way! Was he gay? If so, thank God he didn't have a crush on me. Jacob must be enjoying the attention. I turned back to him and was surprised to note that he was holding the dress up, covering his chest staring in horror at Seth. So he was scared of the attention of possible gay men? Mmm…that was interesting. I had to ask Bella about this. I wondered whether he had ever had a boyfriend. Poor Jacob.

"Move it, guys! We've got so much to do!" Bella called out to the Quileutes outside and started going through the list she held. Soon everyone was assigned different tasks. Bella and I had stayed up half the night with Renee and Charlie making the lists. The chief was really good at organising things. So now each of us held a list of things to do. The downside of staying up so late had been that Bella had not had time to come back down for more sexy times. We had decided that we really did need to get some sleep since we had so much to do.

Yesterday after the wedding, Em had played the recording of Carlisle's call with Aro. I recalled the details.

"Hello, my friend," Aro's voice had come over the line.

"Hello, Aro. What can I do for you?" Carlisle hadn't sounded very happy to hear from Aro.

"Well, for starters, my friend, why wasn't I informed about your son's visit to Italy? As you know, I was detained in the US at the time."

"I wasn't aware that Edward planned to go to Italy. Something must have come up with the deal, and he must have decided to go to see Caius in person."

"Dimitri didn't know about the visit till he showed up."

"So now you are in touch with Dimitri?" I had heard the sarcasm in Carlisle's voice. Aro's sinister chuckle had come over the line.

"Haven't you heard of the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

"What has that got to do with anything?" Carlisle had grumbled.

"You'd be surprised to know."

"Get to the point, Aro. What do you want?"

"Where is Edward now? I hear he's not back in the office. According to Dimitri, he left in a hurry and should be back there by now."

"How should I know? I'm not his keeper."

"Carlisle, where is your son?"

"I really don't know, and I don't care." Carlisle had sounded annoyed. Was it really true? Didn't he care where I was? Or what happened to me?

"You don't care about how he runs your business?"

"For heaven's sake, Aro, I trust him to keep the business running. And he has done a good job so far. I have enough things to do, without having to keep tabs on Edward too."

At least he trusts me. That was a small consolation. I tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of my mind that reminded me that he had bugged my office, phone and even had my staff following me.

"So, he hasn't been to office?"

"Like I told you, Aro, mind your own business. And I'll mind mine. Edward is busy with his work. He must be out meeting clients."

"If you say so."

"I have a question for you. How do you know whether Edward was in the office or not?" That was something I had wondered as well—how did Aro know I wasn't in the office?

"Just a call to the office would let anyone know that information." I highly doubted that.

"Well, then keep calling and find out whether he is there or not. Now, if you are finished, unlike you, I have work to do." Carlisle had abruptly tried to end the conversation.

"Remember, my friend, we have a deal. You deliver, or you don't get my end of the bargain."

"Oh, I remember. How can I forget? Let me get back to getting it done. And you get my part ready. Have a good day." Carlisle hung-up even before Aro answered. It was obvious that Carlisle was really annoyed with Aro.

Carlisle called Emmett's extension right after that. Rosalie answered.

"Where is Edward?"

"He's out of the office."

"Who is tailing him?"

"Emmett's with him."

"Okay, good. Now where is he?"

"He has gone to visit Bella to get some documents." I cringed but realised that we had to be somewhat truthful, since Carlisle did have resources to check out where exactly I was. He also had a tail on Bella.

"Where is Bella?"

"She's on sick leave."

"Still?"

"Yes, she didn't come into office the entire week."

"Who is following her?"

"Paul was following her, but then he lost track of her when she suddenly left the hospital."

"What do you mean?"

"Paul had gone to grab something to eat, and when he got back, he found she was gone."

"That idiot! So how did you find her?"

"She actually called and informed the office that she wanted to go on sick leave. She said she was at her parents'. Since she was at home, we thought it was not necessary to keep tabs on her."

"I will decide when it is necessary to stop following her or not. Tell Emmett to come and see me when he gets back. Send someone to keep tabs on Bella. There is someone new there in security, right? What's his name?"

"Seth Clearwater."

"Have him follow Bella and report back to me on Monday. I want to know everything she is doing. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"That is all. And tell Emmett to ask Edward to give me a call when he gets back."

"Sure, sir."

Then he hung up.

This sudden interest on Aro's part worried us. However, we decided to go ahead with the plans. We were not in a position to bring the wedding forward. If we wanted to do that, we had to fly to Vegas, to which Bella was adamantly against. Charlie vowed to give her the wedding she deserved. He went so far as to say that the old man could keep his money and stuff it up his ass. Renee had been very worried along with the rest of us. But Bella pointed out that if there was a pressing need, and if they knew something, Aro would have been more insistent, and Carlisle wouldn't have waited till Monday to know what Bella had been up to. So we did have the whole weekend to get married.

Having Seth come in from Seattle also suited our plans since now we didn't have to send Emmett back to collect our tuxes and all the other last minute things we needed from Seattle, including the rings. We had not been in a position to trust anyone else to get them, so we had decided to send Em. Seth had arrived early morning with all the necessary stuff. He was also happy to be able to attend my wedding. I was glad to have another pair of eyes to keep watch. I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something might happen to stop the wedding, although Bella said it was just cold feet on my part. I had also taken the precaution of making everyone who we had invited to the wedding aware of what was going on, and about what was at stake here.

Rev. Webber, who was going to perform the ceremony, had been shocked to hear the circumstances. He and his wife, along with Charlie's two deputies and their wives, were the only people we were inviting from Forks, except for the Quiluetes. The Webber's were Charlie's closest neighbours and actually knew about Renee and her past. Charlie thought we were asking for trouble if we publicised this too much. The deputies and their wives were also good friends of the family, so they could be trusted on being discreet. Bella's house stood several miles outside of town, between the reservation and the town centre. The remoteness also ensured our privacy. But I felt a bit paranoid about the surrounding forest. The heavily wooded area surrounding Bella's house could hide us as well as our enemies. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough for me.

**A/N:So what did you think of Jacob's er... dress? And what about the conversation between Carlisle and Aro? Thank you for the lovely reviews! I'm so sorry that I could not update last week. Real life interfered and I wasn't feeling that well. A big thank you to Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26 Our Forever

**Chapter 26**

**Our Forever**

**Edward's POV**

As I stared into the molten chocolate orbs and got lost in their depths, I felt my whole life pass before me. In their depths, I read love, triumph and another intense emotion that I could not even begin to fathom. My beautiful angel was dressed in a flowing white dress. She looked like a princess come alive from a fairy-tale. That was her dream, and although I was no prince, I was her choice. My mind was overwhelmed with images of our future together—Bella and me making love, Bella expecting our first child, our little family playing in my backyard. I don't know where the images came from, but I knew I craved them all the same. It was like a kaleidoscope of images from the life I envisioned for us. The beautiful sight of her walking towards me will be etched in my mind forever.

As they reached the floral arch under which I was standing along with the preacher, Charlie placed her hand in mine. I was surprised to see Charlie's eyes glistening with something that looked suspiciously like tears. I never expected that from the strong-willed chief. I knew without a doubt that Charlie's soft-spot was reserved for his wife and daughter. I nodded my head in acknowledgement when Charlie gave me a meaningful look. I read a wild mixture of emotions in his eyes: worry, relief, happiness and also a stern threat mixed in for good measure. I didn't have time to think of what Charlie meant because the preacher started the ceremony.

Once again, I met my Bella's beautiful chocolate eyes now brimming with tears. She stole a glance at her parents, and I followed her look. Renee was openly weeping, and Charlie was staring at his hands. This was the moment of truth. Bella and I were both leaving our previous lives to join together and start our journey in a new one. I might have not known her for more than a couple of weeks, but I was sure she was my destiny. They say you get cold feet at your wedding, but the feelings I had were burning hot. Bella's warm hand in mine made me all too aware of what this ceremony meant for us.

I smiled down at her and squeezed her hand in reassurance as I listened to the preacher going through all the lines. My "I do" rang out loud and clear, and Bella's was even louder. She practically screamed it out loud and covered her mouth in mortification when our little audience of wedding guests started laughing. Then came the part I was waiting for all my life.

"And I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

It looked like I was not the only one waiting for this moment, because Bella practically leapt on me, kissing me with wild abandon. My enthusiasm got the better of me, and I forgot everything around us but the feeling of her soft lips pressing against mine, her warm curves following every line of my body.

"I love you, Bella," I managed to say in between kisses.

"Love you too, Edward," she whispered back. I held her tightly to me, kissing her back as if my life depended on it. She was mine! Mine to hold and love forever…

I was startled when someone patted me on the back. _Who the hell was interfering?_ I glared at Em's grinning face.

"Edkins, you might want to take it somewhere else, much more private or rather wait till the guests go home."

I quickly raised my head and sheepishly looked around. Everyone was laughing and clapping, giving us a standing ovation, except for Chief Swan who was glaring at me. I felt Bella hide her face in my chest. Even the chief's disapproval couldn't keep my elation down. I laughed out loud in happiness… and I felt Bella's giggles muffled by my coat.

**Bella's POV**

Mortified was too lame a word to describe what I was feeling. Did I just kiss Edward in a most intimate way right in front of my family and friends? I cringed when I thought of the look my father must be sporting now. Mom must be grinning from ear–to-ear though, and Em had been the voice of reason, pulling us apart. I might have jumped Edward right in front of everyone if Em hadn't stopped us.

_Hey, you already did that!_ A voice in the back of my head reminded me. I groaned. Oh! Shit! This was so embarrassing. I quickly glanced around to see whether people were still staring at us. They were all grinning, but it didn't look like they blamed us for our little display. My dad on the other hand gave me a stern look of disapproval. He was going to have to get used to the idea that I was a married woman now and that I would be kissing my new husband a lot.

The ceremony had been everything I had ever wanted it to be. I had dreamed about my wedding all my life, but the reality was so much better than even my wildest imaginings. Jacob had finally agreed to wear the midnight blue suit we had made for him, but he had insisted on carrying a bouquet of flowers. I had grudgingly agreed since he had in fact been gracious enough to not wear that dress!

Speaking of the dress, Alice had hidden it, and even I couldn't find it. She had been very worried that Jacob might turn up at the wedding in the dress in spite of everything. Alice had looked beautiful in her midnight blue dress, carrying the bouquet of flowers. She of course had insisted on wearing a headdress made of wild flowers around her head. _What's with my bridesmaids and flowers?_ Alice had also pinned some wildflowers around the small knot of hair I wore at the nape of my neck that was covered by the veil. It did in fact look really nice. It was the only colour I wore except for the blue hair combs that my parents had given me that morning, which had originally belonged to Grandma Swan.

My wedding dress and veil were in pure white. The dress clung to me like a second skin on the top, but it didn't look overly tight after the adjustments we had made. Alice had been right about the neckline—it looked elegant and showed off my curves to advantage. The skirt was long and flared. We had not made any changes to it. I guess the young and old me combined made the whole thing work. The clever changes to the neckline and waist made the dress look modern. From the look on Edward's face when he saw me in the dress, I'd say it was a great success.

The meadow had transformed into an exotic, living, breathing setting for the wedding. A colourful array of wildflowers bloomed around us in abundance, swaying softly in the wind. The morning sunlight lit the entire area with natural streaks of light streaming through trees, adding an otherworldly beauty to the whole atmosphere. The wooden benches from the reservation in the middle didn't seem to clash with nature's beautiful canvas. Edward's music played in the background, adding a touch of romance. The sound of water flowing from the little creek and the birds chirping from the nearby trees added more harmony, rather than detract from the melody. There was hidden enchantment in the surroundings—as if time, itself stood still celebrating this joyous moment. The most picture-perfect of them all was Edward himself, who had stood under the beautiful floral arch glowing with happiness. It was like an invisible thread had held us together and bound us for an eternity. He was the prince from my dreams. And finally, I had married him.

It was surreal yet, amazingly real. I didn't have words to describe what I was feeling at this moment. I looked at my husband and met his piercing green eyes. Edward looked so beautiful in his tux with his messy bronze locks. I know it was wrong to describe a man as beautiful…but he just was...and he was mine. His mesmerising emerald gaze held me captivated. There was so much love and adoration in those green depths. I tried to convey my love for him through my suddenly moist eyes. I was so happy.

"Bella… smile." I looked up as Alice quickly clicked a picture. The photographer was right behind her, clicking like mad.

And then everything happened at once. First, I felt my mother's tearful hug.

"Oh! Bella." I hugged her back, feeling an ache in my heart.

"Even though it was rushed, everything went so well. It was just as you imagined. I'm so happy for you." She sobbed as she carefully adjusted my veil.

"I know, Mom."

"And he loves you, sweetie." As if he heard his name, Edward turned to look at my mom and me, and to my surprise, he blushed. He gave us a huge grin, and my mother turned to hug him.

"So…" I heard a throat clearing.

I turned to my father, who now stood awkwardly in front of me. I flung myself into his arms.

"Bells…my little girl."

My father's voice sounded gruff, and I knew he was feeling the significance of the moment. He had just married off his daughter. I would always remain his little girl. It must be very difficult for him to see his little girl married. I wondered how it would be, to one day watch your son or daughter marry and walk away from you. I would never have that pleasure…I would never see my son or daughter getting married, because I was this stupid, barren woman. I felt the flood of tears swallow me whole and let my grief take hold of me. Human nature was such that, at one moment, I was blissfully happy and the next...

"Shh…Bells, I'm happy you found Edward. And I trust him, little one. He'll take care of you. Don't cry." Charlie was trying to sooth me.

"What's all this? Hey! Bells, you have to stop crying. I wore a suit for you." A grinning Jacob pulling me out of my father's arms.

"It's the maid of honour's turn for his hug." Huge arms lifted me up and hugged me tight.

"Jake…can't…can't breathe." He suddenly let me go.

"Oh, sorry, Bells." A sheepish-looking grin was now pasted on his face. I couldn't help smiling back at him. He could always make me smile—even when I was really down.

"You must be glad you didn't marry me now, huh, Bells?"

"Why?" I had to ask.

"After seeing that kiss! Holy shit! That's way hotter than porn. Although I wish he was kissing me instead of you."

"I could kiss you." Someone tapped Jake on his shoulder, and we both turned to face Seth.

"Er…no thanks." Jake quickly turned away, hugging a very surprised Edward and planting a huge wet kiss right on his mouth. Seth and I both burst out laughing.

The expression on Edward's face was priceless. His eyes were filled with horror, and he was gasping for breath and desperately trying to push Jacob away. I decided it was time I saved Edward. After all, I was supposed to take care of him as per our marriage vows. And I was actually feeling a bit territorial.

"Hands off, mister—he's my property now." I pushed Jake away, giving him a good punch with my elbow for good measure.

Jake doubled over. "What was that for?" He was pouting.

"Hey! I have a right to be jealous. And you were mauling my man." I put my hands around Edward and pulled him down for a kiss. He happily complied.

"It's my turn! My turn now!" A screeching pixie pulled Edward away from me and flung herself at Edward, who, to his credit, managed to catch her.

"Oh, Ally!" Edward laughed as he picked up the little pixie. She reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Congratulations, Ed! Oh! God! You are married! I'm married! Oh, God! This is crazy! Oh, wow! Imagine…just in the same week! It's incredible, Ed…you know…" she continued speaking, but I didn't hear the rest as Jasper came to stand right in front of me. He held out his hand. I could do better; after all, his wife was now hugging my husband. So I hugged a very surprised Jasper.

"Glad to be your sister-in-law too." I giggled and Jasper laughed out loud.

"Well, I'm glad as well. Guess you are right…you are my honorary sister-in-law. Edward always treated Ally as his sister."

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" Emmett, who was right behind Jasper, asked with a pout.

"Oh, you are also my honorary brother now." I smiled.

"I am?" The big oaf of a man pulled me out of Jasper's arms and flung me up in the air.

"Sure you are. Now put me down." Emmett's laughter only grew louder.

"Put her down, Em." Edward's voice rang out.

"Let me have my fun with my new sister." Emmett flung me up again.

"Em! I'm warning you. Put my wife down." I felt a tremor pass through my body at the words "my wife." Wow! I was Edward's wife now! Me… Bella Swan! The wife of the famous Edward Cullen!

"Okay, okay! But I'm not finished yet." Emmett laid a huge sloppy kiss on my cheek and finally let me go. I had barely managed to take in a breath of air when I felt as if I was hit by a train.

"Bella! Bella! You are my new sister! Oh! I'm so happy! We can do so much together. Oh!" The little pixie was surprisingly strong as she held me tightly to her. She kept on talking, and I was feeling a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

"Hey! Let my bride breathe, will you! You are suffocating her." Edward finally managed to rescue me from her iron grip.

"And you've got some more guests to greet." I turned and saw Esme standing in front of us.

"Bella, I'm so glad to be here." I tearfully hugged Esme.

"How is Colin?"

"Oh, my boy is doing great, thanks to you two. I'm so happy to be here." Esme smiled as Edward too pulled her into a hug. I could tell this surprised her.

"How can I ever thank you?" She had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Edward.

"Being Bella's friend is thanks enough for me. And thank you for coming all the way for the wedding."

"Oh, it was nothing—you flew me in, after all." Edward had flown her in the company helicopter.

After that, we were greeted by a string of wedding guests. Most were from the reservation, but I was glad to see officer Mark and Tom along with their spouses among the guests. I next received a hug from Rev. Webber's wife, Mary. Edward had slept at their place the night before as Charlie thought it was not appropriate for Edward to sleep at our place the night before the wedding. He hadn't wanted to send Edward to the reservation with Jake either. Neither had I. So when the Webbers offered, we gladly accepted.

**Edward's POV**

Everything was a blur of activity. We posed for numerous photographs and Bella introduced me to everyone. Then I proudly led my beautiful wife to the middle of the clearing for our very first dance as a couple. She felt so warm and soft when I held her in my arms—it was with the greatest difficulty that I stopped myself from devouring her then and there. Her beautiful brown eyes stared at me with an intensity that told me her need was as great as mine. I stared right back, my eyes burning into hers, telling her of my desire while I torturously followed decorum and spun her around the clearing. It was one of those special moments, when time stood absolutely still, and everything around us blurred, with only the two of us existing in our very own private world. I wanted it to last forever.

I was very reluctant to let her go when Charlie claimed his dance. When I danced with Renee, to my utter embarrassment she told me she was very glad that Bella married such a handsome man. Although her words sounded harmless, the wink that followed spoke volumes.

We were preparing to have lunch when Charlie pulled me aside to discuss our next move. We were hoping to fly back to Seattle tonight. He wanted to make sure everything would go as planned. One of the deputies had already left with our marriage registration details. Seth had come up with the idea of having Alice and Bella put in a witness protection programme. That meant that all their records were not available for anyone who wanted to find them. So as far as anyone knew, Jasper and I would still be unmarried, although we were married to Bella and Alice. Talking with Charlie made me think about Carlisle again. I had called him in the morning. I couldn't bear to get married without at least hearing his voice on my wedding day. Our conversation had a double meaning to it. I don't think Carlisle realised it.

"_Hello, good morning, Dad."_

"_Morning, Edward, where are you?"_

"_I had to come back to Forks and will be flying back tonight."_

"_Is Bella well?"_

"_She's doing fine, Dad."_

"_Good. I trust you've got Emmett with you."_

"_I do. Why?"_

"_No, I'm just worried. I have a feeling Aro is behind the industrial espionage attempt. Do you know that Bella is Marcus Volturi's granddaughter?"_

"_Yes, I found out about it."_

"_Well, according to Aro, they don't get along. But you never know. So keep an eye on Bella." Oh…I planned on keeping a very good eye on Bella, well more than an eye, my hands and every other part of my body on her too. _

"_Oh, I forgot to tell you—I'm planning on starting a new project. Wish me luck." I wanted Carlisle's words of blessing. I knew it was silly, but I just needed to hear him say the words. _

"_You know, Edward, you always have my best wishes. So what's so special about this one, that you need my blessing?" _

"_I haven't worked out the details yet." Meaning, I haven't got married yet. _

"_Okay, fine. I don't want to know more about this mysterious project. I know how secretive you are about your new ideas. At least, tell me… do you think it will be profitable?"_

"_Of course." Well, marrying an heiress can be considered profitable, couldn't it? _

"_Well… then see you tomorrow."_

"_Yes. See you tomorrow."_

I sighed. I wished my father was here with me today.

As I turned away from Charlie, I felt a tingling sensation in my neck, as if someone was watching me and looked up and stared right into the ice blue eyes of my father. Close behind him stood Rosalie Hale, with a frosty glare aimed right at me. Be careful what you wish for…

**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews. I'm so sorry for the late update—real life intruded and I had to make a hasty trip. So what do you think of the wedding? Was it like you imagined? What is Carlisle doing there? And Rosalie? What's she upto? Thank god they are already married!**

**Thank you Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter. **


	27. Chapter 27 The Father of the Groom

**Chapter 27 **

**The Father of the Groom**

**Edward's POV**

I froze. Carlisle's glance was not angry or accusing. He was just surprised. My eyes searched for Bella in a panic. She must have felt my gaze on her because she looked at me as soon as I turned towards her. She immediately noted my change in demeanour, because the laughter in her eyes changed to dread. I glanced back at Carlisle. Bella must have followed my gaze, because the next thing I know I heard her laughter along with Alice's. Carlisle and I both turned towards the sound. Bella was kissing Alice's ear and she was laughing out loud. Only I could tell she must be taking the chance to whisper something in her ear. Alice suddenly pulled Bella to her and kissed her on her lips. The photographer was going crazy taking pictures. Everything was kind of moving in slow motion for me. I first saw Carlisle's grimace along with Rosalie's disapproving look. When I turned to my right, I saw Charlie's shocked face then Emmett's smirk. It was Emmett's smirk that finally made it all click into place along with Bella's loud words.

"Let's celebrate our wedding in style, Alice. Come, love, dance with me."

It was a miracle, but the focus of the entire wedding had changed in that second.

I burst into laughter. I laughed and laughed. I heard Jasper laughing with me. God! Bella and Alice were something else. No damage was done. I was sure Carlisle and Rosalie both thought they just crashed Bella and Alice's wedding, not mine. I was so happy. It was strange, but Carlisle's appearance at my wedding, even though he didn't know it was mine, meant the world to me. I finally felt completely and utterly happy. I rushed to my father's side, and, to his surprise, engulfed him in a big hug. I don't think I had hugged him so enthusiastically even when I was a kid.

"Edward, well…er…I'm glad that you are happy to see me." Carlisle returned my hug, first a bit awkwardly, but then more tightly.

"I gather you gave the bride away." I knew he meant giving Alice away, but I couldn't help the words that came out of my mouth.

"Yes, something like that." I did have to give Bella away to Alice, so that she can pretend to be her wife. I saw Rosalie scowl at me and go marching towards Em. _Hope he survives the thrashing_. I saw the moment Em's jovial face changed into one of horror as he helplessly glanced at me for help. I shrugged and focused back on Carlisle. My hands were tied. I had to keep the show running and keep Carlisle from suspecting anything. How the hell were we going to prevent the guests from blurting out that it was my wedding? This was going to be one major feat on damage control.

"So, I see you lost both the girls." Carlisle turned towards Bella and Alice who were now dancing in the middle of the meadow.

"Excuse me?" _What the hell! _

Carlisle sighed.

"Edward, I know how close you were to Alice Brandon. I actually thought you were interested in her. You usually danced with her at least once or twice at every staff gathering we had. You went to school with her, and I know you meet her outside office hours."

"She's more like a sister to me, Dad."

"I was hoping you would hook up with her. She's a nice girl. She would have made a good wife for you." Carlisle ran a hand through his hair in agitation.

I had in fact danced with Alice a lot and been near her so that Jasper could join in. No one would think twice about him dancing with her with me doing the same. It was shocking to note that Carlisle had thought I had something going on with her. I hadn't thought he had noticed my close friendship with Alice.

"And Bella…" Carlisle closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What about Bella?" This was going into forbidden territory. He had better tread lightly; this was my wife he was talking about, although he didn't know it.

"For a moment there, when you took her home from the handover party, I thought you were interested in her." So he had noticed my interest in Bella the first day I had met her.

"I thought you were the one who was interested in her?"

"I was, Edward. I would have married her in a heartbeat. She reminds me of your mother. I wouldn't have actually been angry with you if you had courted her." Carlisle chuckled.

"What_?" Oh, my God! Did Carlisle just give his approval to me?_

"I know you were interested. I noticed how you couldn't seem to keep your eyes off her at that party. But then you completely pulled back. Guess you knew she was a lesbian, ha?"

"Yeah…" I scratched the back of my head. It was awful lying to my dad like this, but after his conversation with Aro, I didn't know what to think. I just couldn't put Bella's life at his mercy before the inheritance issue got settled—especially if the Italian mob was involved. This could all be a ploy to get me to admit the truth. I just couldn't trust him.

"Never mind, son. Some day you will find your better half," Carlisle said as he patted my back. I felt guilty for not telling him that I already did find my better half.

I met Jasper's eyes at that moment and smiled when he winked at me. I knew he was having fun with this pretend wedding business, especially with the girls now putting on a nice show on the dance floor.

Alice and Bella were re-enacting a scene from dirty dancing. Jacob joined them for a moment when Bella called him. She practically hugged him while she whispered something in his ear. Whatever she said made him laugh out loud. He high-fived Bella and Alice, and then to my horror blew me a flying kiss. I didn't want any kisses from him. Thankfully, Jacob then mingled with the crowd talking with everyone and high-fiving them all. _What's with all the dramatics?_ It was obvious he was having a lot of fun. Seth joined him, and, to my surprise, they talked and then grinned at each other and even bumped fists before they went their separate ways. I hoped Seth picked up on what was happening.

_Did Bella tell Jacob? _

I had a hunch that was what she whispered in his ear. Hopefully she updated Jacob. I looked at Em, who was still facing the dragon. Rosalie looked ferocious, and her anger didn't seem to have abated. I could tell by the way she was flailing her arms around and lashing at Em. She was after his blood, well… someone's blood from the looks of it. He was helpless to do any damage control around the wedding without arousing Rosalie's suspicion, but at least he managed to keep her occupied. I really didn't want to deal with Rosalie right now.

I turned back to Jasper, who was now talking to Charlie and Renee. They were surrounded by the Webbers and the wives of the two deputies. Hopefully, he can update the chief on why his daughter suddenly turned into a lesbian. From the serious looks on everyone's faces and the furtive glances they gave Carlisle, it was obvious that was exactly what was happening. My focus on Jasper was broken when Carlisle tapped my shoulder.

"Son…can I…can I ask you something?" Oh God—here it comes. _Did he notice the way I was looking at Bella? Did he finally figure out what was going on?_

"Er…sure…" _No, of course not. I didn't want any awkward sounding questions._

"I was…I was just wondering…" Carlisle never hesitated. This was bad. I took a deep breath. There was no evidence of Bella's marriage to me to be found right now, unless one of the guests said something. We were safe for the moment, and I was going to stick to the lesbian marriage story no matter what.

"What do you want to know?" I looked straight into Carlisle's eyes, hoping my training with Em would help me through it. I had learned how to lie. Yes, they did give training on that too.

"Son, are you gay?"

"WHAT?" I couldn't believe my ears. Everything stood still for a moment—it was as if I was in my own world. _Where the hell had he got that idea? Did he think that because of Jacob's flying kiss? That idiot! I could strangle him for this. _

"Was it because of Jacob's flying kiss?" I was now angry. Just let me get my hands on him. He's going to pay for that kiss.

"Who? What flying kiss? My God! I thought it was Jasper. Who is Jacob?" Carlisle looked at me in bewilderment.

"Jacob is Bella's gay best friend. He was the maid of honor." I pointed out Jacob to Carlisle.

"Figures…" Carlisle frowned.

"He's just so annoying—he doesn't want to listen when I say no to him."

"So you don't like Jacob?" Carlisle looked relieved.

"No, of course not!"

"Thank God! For a minute there, I tried to imagine him as my son-in-law!" Carlisle chuckled. Jacob was still diligently carrying his bouquet of flowers in his hands. He had even pinned a flower behind his ear.

"You don't have to worry about that. I would never go for Jacob. He practically smothered me and Bella had to save me."

"I'm glad she was there for you. It's a pity she's a lesbian too. Who would have thought…?" He sadly shook his head. I didn't know whether he was upset on my behalf or his. Maybe both…

"Let me get something for you to drink." I could use a really strong drink, but knew that it was the worst possible thing I could do right now. I needed all my wits about me today.

I led Carlisle to the refreshment table. I didn't like where this conversation was heading. I didn't want to talk about Bella with him again. I was too emotional. She was now my wife, and having to pretend otherwise was very hard for me. Especially with my father, who really did know me very well. I was actually surprised that he hadn't noticed my continued interest in Bella.

It didn't take long for the others to join us at the refreshment table. Even Bella and Alice joined us. They were still giggling.

"So Edward, what does it feel like to be the father of the bride?" I glared at Seth. I wanted to scream out that I was the husband of the bride not the father.

"Hey, he's the brother, not the father!" Bella corrected Seth. Seth raised his eyes brows at her.

"Okay, right. The brother of the bride." I could tell he was really enjoying this.

"I, for one, am happy to give my sister away," I gave a fake grin. Carlisle had a concerned look on his face.

"Edward, you know it's time you became the groom." It was the last thing I expected Carlisle to say. I gulped down the glass of Champagne in my hand in one go and ended up with a coughing fit when it went the wrong way.

"Yeah, Edkins, it's time you got hitched," Em chortled.

"I second that," Bella said, giving me a mischievous grin. Jazz tried to ease my suffering by patting me on my back.

"Easy, Edward. Here—have a glass of water." Jazz held out a glass, which I gratefully drank from.

"So when am I going to hear the good news? Are you two engaged?" Carlisle asked again.

"What? Engaged to whom?"

"Edward, I know everyone else knows. No need to keep it from me. I will not treat you any differently. The only thing you have to promise is that you will father a child. I want a grandchild to inherit Cullen Enterprises." I saw Bella blanch at the words "grandchild." Oh, shit! Alice put an arm around her again and gave me a tight smile. I was so thankful to her.

"Everyone knows what, Dad?" _What on earth was he talking about?_

"That you and Jasper are together. It's time you came out of the closet." I stood stock still in shock, and Jazz dropped the glass he was holding to my lips and let go of me as if I was a burning coal. _Could this possibly get any worse?_ Apparently, it could.

"Yeah, it's time you two came out of the closet, Eddie. Can I be maid-of-honor again? Wish one of you would marry me though." Jacob flung his arms over both Jazz and me, grinning like an idiot.

"Eddie, you would look nice in a dress, you know, just like the one Jacob wore." Em gave us an evil grin.

"Here, have a look. It looks really nice on me doesn't it? I wouldn't mind making one like that for Edward for his wedding." Jacob very kindly showed a picture of him in that dreadful dress to Carlisle. My dad visibly cringed and shied away from Jacob when he saw it. That was it—I was going to officially flog both Em and Jacob.

"I am not gay, and neither is Jazz," I said as I pushed away from Jacob. Jazz swiftly nodded his head in agreement.

"You two couldn't keep your eyes off each other all day today. I could see all the signs. He even winked at you." I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had indeed had a lot of eye contact with Jazz today simply because of all that was going on. I remembered that wink as well and the horrified look on Jazz's face confirmed that he did too.

"Edward, I know you spend a lot of time with Jasper and visit his place at all hours. In fact, you even spend the night there. And you haven't dated anyone for years now." Jazz and I looked at him incredulously. _Was he serious?_ I heard Alice giggle, and Jacob and Em both laughed.

"You know he's right. You do spend a lot of time with him." Rosalie's eyes narrowed at me. I could tell she was suspicious. There was no getting out of that one. She had indeed followed me to Jazz's place.

"For heaven's sake, I'm not gay!" I threw my hands up in the air.

"Maybe you are just bi?" Seth decided to add his own two cents to the conversation.

"I'm not bi either!" I practically screamed out in frustration.

"But you can't deny you spend most of the day with him." Carlisle did have a point about me spending a lot of time with Jazz. He was my assistant and best friend. Of course I spent a lot of time with him. I was just about to open my mouth to point that out when Bella spoke up.

"Carlisle, just let him be." Thank God Bella came to my rescue. I was relieved until I saw the look that she shared with Carlisle. My eyes met Bella's, and she gave a slight nod, asking me to stop talking. _What the hell? Why didn't Bella want me to convince my father of the truth?_

Before I could say anything, I saw a side table topple and a bewildered-looking deer stared right at us.

"What do we have here? A deer?" Jazz asked as he turned towards the commotion.

"Oh, dear—a deer!" Alice flung herself into Jazz's arms. She had just found the perfect excuse to be close to Jazz. I knew something like a deer would never scare the pixie.

"Yes, dear, a deer," Jazz laughed. I guess he was just happy that he could at least hold his wife in his arms for a bit.

Bella slowly walked over to the deer and to my surprise patted its head. Both of them stared at each other for a moment before the deer suddenly turned on its heel and ran back into the forest.

"He comes here all the time. He has even sat with me while I read. I guess the noise from the wedding him curious." Bella laughed.

"You mean to say you have a dear deer friend?" Em asked.

"I guess I do. And I'm glad he attended my wedding. Wish I could have shared a piece of cake with him." Bella smiled wistfully. Luckily Bella and I had cut the cake sometime before Carlisle came.

"It's time for lunch," Renee said, beaming at us as she joined us with Charlie.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet Bella's parents, Renee and Charlie Swan. Renee, Charlie, this is my father, Carlisle Cullen."

"It's my pleasure…I actually came here to meet the illustrious Miss Renee Volturi." In typical Carlisle Cullen fashion, my father gave Renee a charming smile as he bent over to kiss her hand.

"It's Mrs. Swan now, and I'm Chief Swan." Charlie held out his hand to Carlisle, effectively stopping him from kissing his wife's hand. A knowing smile graced my father's face as he gave the chief a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Chief. So I hear your daughter is going to be the heiress to the Volturi fortune now that she's married." Carlisle gave the chief a calculating smile.

_What?_ Did Carlisle know about Marcus's letter? But when he spoke with Aro, he hadn't seemed to know anything. What was going on? Was it all a pretence? Did he already know about the inheritance? Was it why he wanted to marry Bella to get it? Or have me marry her? Either way, it would have meant that Cullen Enterprises would have control over the massive Volturi Empire. I grimaced. Unknowingly, I had indeed fulfilled his ambition. Was I just a pawn in the grand scheme of things?

**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews I got. So do you think Edward is right? Was Carlisle plotting a massive takeover bid? Where does Aro come into it? He stands to lose if Carlisle succeeds, doesn't he? **

**So we've now got two married couples posing as two gay couples, one married and one possibly engaged. Oh! What a tangled web we weave! What do you think of it? **

**And before you ask, yes Gay marriage is legal in Washington since last December. I checked. Guess they heard about my story and decided to make it legal. It wasn't legal when I started writing the story in September 2012. lol!**

**Thank you Twimarti and Dazzleglo for getting the chapter back to me in just one day! Wow! You two are amazing!**


	28. Chapter 28 Inquisitions

**Chapter 28**

**Inquisitions **

**Edward's POV**

"_Nice to meet you, Chief. So I hear your daughter is going to be the heiress to the Volturi fortune now that she's married." Carlisle gave the chief a calculating smile. _

"Well…that remains to be seen," Charlie said in a gruff voice. It was evident that he was not happy with this turn of events either. He gave me a look full of significance, and I nodded slightly to let the Chief know that I understood.

"So anyway, as I was saying, you are to become an heiress, Bella. Congratulations." Carlisle beamed at Bella and kissed her on the cheek. To my surprise, he even kissed Alice.

"I hope both of you will continue to work for Cullen Enterprises."

"Of course we will, won't we, Alice?" Bella asked as she gave Alice a mischievous look.

The pixie nodded her head in agreement.

"We love the work environment." Bella looked at me and Jazz as she said this. _Of course you love me, Bella. _

"And the work is so…fulfilling," Alice said in a voice full of innuendo. I saw Jazz swallow hard.

"Don't forget satisfying," Bella added in a sultry voice, and I nearly fainted.

"Ahem, I'm glad you like to work…with us," Carlisle said in a voice full of bemusement. I could tell he was puzzled. Bella and Alice had always been very professional and serious with him. Even Bella's date with him had not been very personal. Well…I didn't let it get personal, so Carlisle had not witnessed this playful side.

"But work comes first. No big lunch breaks." I couldn't help teasing the girls. I also didn't want to give Carlisle time to analyse things more closely. He was a shrewd man and it wouldn't take much for him to figure things out if he was left to his own devices for too long.

"Oh, boss, we are not even going on a proper honeymoon till Bella gets more leave. Can't we take a tiny bit longer?" The pixie pouted.

"Nope." I shook my head negatively, ruffling the pixie's hair. I didn't give a damn what my father thought of that. He already seemed to know about the close relationship I had with Alice. The pixie made pleading puppy dog eyes at me.

"Edward!" my father admonished me.

"Of course you can, Alice. And you too, Bella," Carlisle said. So the mighty Carlisle Cullen fell for Ally's puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Cullen," the pixie said in a sweet voice.

"Call me Carlisle, Alice," Carlisle replied, giving her his signature charming smile.

A Cheshire cat smile spread right across the pixie's face as she winked at me and gave Jazz a look that made him shudder. _Holy shit!_ If the girls kept this up, we were likely to end up giving our secrets away.

"What about lunch? I'm starving," Em said, giving me a look full of warning.

"Let's go for lunch. Bells, I want an extra serving of the chocolate mousse." Jacob pulled my hand, trying to get me to move along with him.

"You won't get any if you don't stop harassing Edward, Jake." Bella used Jacob as an excuse to grab hold of my other hand, pushing Jacob away.

"Aww…Bells, you can't stop me from eating at least one portion. The Chief wouldn't let you do that to me."

"Oh, I'm sure the Chief wouldn't—but remember what I told you about that new karate move I've been practising." Jacob quickly let go of my other hand as a look of fear crossed his face.

I heard a chuckle and saw my father valiantly trying to hold in his laughter.

"They are quite a pair, aren't they?" he whispered in my ear, looking at both Bella and Jacob who were still arguing. My girl was still holding on to my hand, but Carlisle barely noticed it as he was too busy watching their exchange.

"I thought you two got married on Friday. What's going on?" Rosalie suddenly asked out of the blue right in front of Carlisle. Everything stood still while everyone around processed her question. I could have strangled Rosalie for her damning inquisitiveness. _How could she?_ She knew we were doing something secretive that we didn't want Carlisle to know about.

"That was my dream wedding. This is Bella's dream wedding," Alice suddenly spoke. Everyone turned towards her.

"Excuse me—who the hell has two weddings? And you didn't invite me to even one." There was the crucial question. Rosalie was getting back at us for not inviting her.

"Come on! Seriously? You want to know why two girls had two dream weddings?" Alice asked. She was now standing in what I recognised as the "pixie stance." No one messed with the tiny creature when she stood like that. Jasper and I had learned it the hard way. She had both her arms on her hips with her legs wide apart. And one foot tapped the battle hymn of the republic. Yes, we knew that too.

"Yes, seriously," Rosalie said somewhat belligerently.

"Bella and I both imagined how our dream wedding would be like when we were growing up. Every little girl has her own dream. I'm sure you have had yours as well."

"This is not about me—it's about you two having two weddings."

"That's just it. It is about every little girl. You would want to have your dream wedding when you grow up. The only problem with the two of us was that we had very different ideas of what our dream wedding should look like."

"And you decided to have two weddings because of that?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what happened."

"Couldn't you have incorporated the two? This is just ridiculous."

"You mean, we should have brought a beach and set it up in my meadow?" Bella asked with her eyebrows raised. Rosalie looked taken aback by this piece of news. I had to hold back my snicker at the thought of a beach in the middle of the meadow. I saw Carlisle trying very hard not to laugh. Bella really made her point clear.

"I always dreamed about getting married on a beach, to the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. The golden rays of a beautiful sunset in the horizon spreading a golden glow all around us," the pixie said in a dreamy voice.

"And I've always imagined myself getting married in this beautiful meadow surrounded by the wildflowers. This has always been my special place, and I wanted the most precious moment of my life to be celebrated here." Bella's eyes held a suspiciously bright shimmer. And she had got her dream today. I was so happy about it.

Rosalie threw up her hands in exasperation.

"So, now do you understand why we had to have two weddings?" Alice asked.

"Let's go and eat. I'm hungry." Rosalie simply walked away.

"Well, I'm glad you two ladies got your dream weddings." Carlisle smiled at the two girls in understanding.

"I'm glad too. We wouldn't have heard the last of it if we hadn't done everything in our power to make it possible," Jazz said, grinning like an idiot. "Hell, I wore that colourful scarf."

"I would sure like to see the pictures. It looks like an interesting beach wedding."

"It was the best, Carlisle. I made all the lovely scarfs to match Alice's rainbow theme." Jake proudly added.

"And the dresses were gorgeous, weren't they, Jake?" Alice asked.

"Yes, Ally, the best." Both of them giggled and continued discussing how successful all the decorating was.

"So, I gather you got roped into helping out with not one but two weddings, and that's why you didn't come back to the office?"

"I wouldn't dare say no to the pixie." I laughed at Carlisle's surprised expression.

"Carlisle, like I told you before, she's like my little sister, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her."

"I know that now. You would have made a good brother if you had had any siblings. I'm sorry about that. It's just…no one compared to your mother." Carlisle sighed.

"I know, Dad. I understand."

"I'm glad you have Alice. She seems like a nice girl. I should get to know her better." Carlisle had a contemplative look on his face. It wasn't calculating. I also wanted him to know my close friends better.

"You and Jasper should get married soon and start producing a brood of kids!" Carlisle chuckled at his own joke.

"Dad!"

"Fine, I'll let it go for now." He laughed as he patted me on the back.

"Shall we have some lunch? The food is getting cold, and the other guests are waiting. Bells, go take your…" Renee looked at me and hesitated, and then with a look of apology, turned to Alice "…partner and sit at the head table." Alice practically dragged Bella over to the table. I followed slowly hoping to talk to Carlisle in private.

Jacob had arranged a buffet on one side of the meadow. A small head table and several round tables were set close to it. He had tried to drape scarves on the chairs, but Bella had insisted on plain white covers for the seats. Beautiful bunches of wild flowers adorned small vases set in the middle of the tables. It was beautiful. I stood still for a moment to admire the view. Jacob really was good at organising things. He had done a great job with Alice's wedding as well. It was only his taste in colours that concerned me. But then again—for Alice, it had still been perfect. I had to admit that since the tables and chairs were all in white, the splash of colourful wild flowers in the middle looked perfect for the décor.

_Oh shit! What was I doing, thinking about colours and décor?_

I didn't even dare to let that thought finish. My father thought I was gay, for heaven's sake! This thought reminded me that I had intended to talk to Carlisle in private about Marcus. I quickened my pace and reached his side. He was hesitantly walking towards the buffet. I could understand his hesitation—no one had really invited him to the wedding and here he was about to partake in the buffet._ For that matter, how did he know to find us here?_

There were so many questions I had for him, but I needed to tread carefully in order to not show my hand. Carlisle was very good at reading between the lines and putting things together. I thought for a moment and decided on a slow approach with some inane questions.

"When did you talk to Marcus Volturi?"

"Just this morning. The shipment that was due from them was late again."

"Oh, I see." That was strange. I had found that the shipments from Volturi Enterprises were starting to get delayed all the time. I had, in fact, instructed Jazz to keep a lead time of at least two weeks with our customers just in case the Volturi didn't deliver on time.

"What did Marcus have to say about it?"

"He checked and reported that the shipment had left the port in Italy on time. There was no way it could have been delayed. He sounded kind of suspicious." That didn't look good.

"Do you think someone is tampering with it?"

"I have already informed Customs that we want them to check the new shipment thoroughly before releasing it. I think it is important that they know of our suspicions. Otherwise, we might get the blame if something illegal gets smuggled through goods sent in our name." Carlisle always had a kind of second sight when it came to things like that. I always trusted his intuition. Something wasn't right.

"That's good."

"Marcus apologised and said that from now on, he will personally handle all our shipments."

"I never trusted Aro with it. I didn't like it when he took over." I saw a shrewd look on Carlisle's face. He was trying to gauge my response.

"I don't trust Aro either. As I recall, the delays started happening a few months after he took over our account." Carlisle nodded his head in agreement.

"Marcus went on to say that he was planning on handing things over to Bella, his granddaughter. I knew about her relationship with Marcus, but was surprised when he told me that she would inherit everything on her birthday. He also said that she was going to marry Caius's adopted son, Alec."

"Yes, that was the plan."

"So I take it Bella and Alice decided to have a hasty wedding, or rather hasty weddings, so that she didn't have to marry Alec." There was a suspicious looking glint in his eye, as he smirked. I could tell Carlisle was pleased that Bella had managed to outsmart the old man.

"Yes, that's right." I decided it was no use trying to cover things up since Carlisle already seemed to know so much.

"I tried calling you right after I heard the news but couldn't reach you." I pulled out my phone and realised that it was still off. I had switched it off that morning, fearing that it might ring during the ceremony. I got loads of calls from business partners all the time.

"I'm sorry, I had switched it off for the ceremony."

"I was a bit worried about you when I couldn't get in touch with you. After hearing that Bella was going to inherit, I worried that you might be here against your will. I know you called me today in the morning but you sounded kind of off. I guess it was all the excitement with the weddings. Emmett had been in touch with me on Friday, but after that, he hadn't called me either. When I contacted Rosalie, she said both of you were still here in Forks, so I just decided to come myself and have a little chat with Bella and Renee. I also wanted to check up on you." I could see genuine concern for me. Carlisle did care for me in his own way, I guess.

"Everything here is fine. It's just that Bella really didn't want to marry Alec."

Carlisle chuckled. "I can understand. He's a bit ostentatious, isn't he? I can't blame her for not wanting to marry him."

"So now she doesn't have to."

"Yes. And she's still planning to work with us. I wonder how that's going to work out…" A thoughtful frown crossed Carlisle's face. I didn't want him to have thoughts about firing her.

"I think we should let her work for us as long as she wants to. She's really been a good employee."

"I know. We'll take things as it comes. Just…just keep an eye on her. I just don't trust her reasons for being with us. Especially with such a big inheritance."

"I don't think she really cares about it, Dad." A contemplative look crossed Carlisle's face. He was silent for a moment.

"You know, Edward, I think you are right about that. Anyway, just be careful until we get to the bottom of this shipment business."

"Yes, Dad."

I could understand his concern. I was worried as well. There was something going on and we had to find out what. I might not be able to trust my father with my marriage, but I knew Carlisle always had the best interest of the company in mind. I also trusted him to keep me safe. I knew that underneath it all he really did care about me.

**A/N:Check out my entry for the Happily Ever After Contest, "My dream of forever" in my profile. Please let me know what you think of it:)  
**

**Thank you for all the great reviews I got! Wow! We are nearing 700, amazing!**

**So do you think Edward is right about Carlisle caring about him? What about this business with the delayed shipments? **

**Thank you Twimarti and Dazzleglo for beta'ing this chapter. Dazzleglo also entered a story "What not to do while spying" to the Happily Ever After Contest. Check it out.  
**


	29. Chapter 29 The Speech-Gate

**Chapter 29**

**The Speech-Gate**

**Edward's POV**

We kept walking towards the table, and suddenly Carlisle stopped. I turned to him to see what made him stop.

"I think I should leave, Edward. I'm gate-crashing this wedding. It's really not nice. When I came to the Swan house, I heard all this noise from the woods and just decided to check it out and ended up here." Oh, no! I didn't want him to go. I was surprised at my own despair at the thought of his leaving. Actually, we could have continued with the real wedding if he left. But I didn't want him to go. I wanted him here with me today on this special day, even under false pretences. No one could blame the father of the groom for gate-crashing, especially when the said groom had wished for his presence.

"Dad, please stay. I know Bella and Alice would want you to stay. They were in such a hurry organising things that they forgot to invite you. Hell, they didn't actually invite me either." _I didn't invite me to my wedding. _The thought nearly made me laugh.

"Are you sure? Bella's father didn't look so happy."

"Come on, Carlisle, did it look like Bella or Alice, for that matter, looked upset to see you?"

"No, not really." He looked thoughtful.

"So, stay." I gave him a hopeful smile.

"Okay, guess I can fly out with you."

Now, this part I didn't like. I had planned on taking Bella back to my place for our wedding night. I'll have to think of something to somehow make that happen. Now was not the time.

"Sure, I think Bella and Alice are also planning to come back with us. And I've got to get Esme back to the hospital." Carlisle's eyes grew huge, and it looked like he forgot everything around him.

"You invited her?" Carlisle's eyes were already scanning the crowd, desperately seeking Esme. He had it bad.

"I didn't. Bella did," I said, smiling.

"Where is she?" I quickly led Carlisle to the table Esme was sitting at. She didn't look too happy to see him, but they started talking immediately.

Bella and Alice were discreetly waiting for me to open the buffet. I scanned the crowd to see whether Carlisle and Rosalie would notice it if I opened the buffet with Bella. Rosalie was talking to Seth with her back towards us, and it looked like Carlisle was absorbed in whatever Esme was saying.

I gave the photographer the thumbs up, and Bella and I started serving ourselves, closely followed by the pixie. The poor fellow must be having a tough time changing the focus of the photos from one couple to another. Luckily, we had warned him that this wedding was going to be held in a clandestine manner and we didn't want any outsiders to know about it. We all took our seats at the head table. As one of the bridal party, I was still entitled to sit there, even without being the groom.

Once Em, Jazz and Jacob took their places, I couldn't help smiling. The bridal party balanced off very nicely. Alice and Bella were in the middle. I sat next to Bella on her right, with Em on my right. Jazz sat on Alice's left with Jacob on his left. So the two girls sat in the middle with two boys each on their sides, and it really did look like it was their wedding. We ate quietly while the people around us enjoyed the buffet as well. Bella's leg was rubbing against mine, and we sat very close to each other. After cutting everything up to bite-sized pieces, I slowly removed my left hand from the table and placed it on Bella's thigh. She shuddered. I ran it up her leg and placed it right on top of her core. She couldn't help moaning out loud.

"So, Bells, tell me—is the food that good?" the pixie asked winking at me. She was too perceptive. She knew something was going on.

"Ally, I'm in heaven." Bella sighed, as I continued to rub against her. Our concentration was broken only when Em got up and knocked a spoon against a champagne glass.

"Ladies and gentleman, I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple." He didn't actually look at us but continued to look at the guests as he talked.

"I have known one half of the happy couple for some time now, and believe me when I say that Bella is a very lucky girl to have a partner like that. I admit that the said partner could be crazy and act like a half mad lunatic at times…" he turned around and winked at me "…but has a golden heart and I'm sure Bella will be taken care of very er…nicely, for the rest of her life." He wiggled his eyebrows and turned to us again.

"I mean very well taken care of, every moment of every day, and even at this moment."

Bella blushed bright red, and I realised that Em must have noticed my missing hand. I really hoped Carlisle didn't notice anything. Right on cue, the pixie kissed Bella on the cheek and giggled.

"Yes, Em, I can guarantee that will happen. I'm really good at sneaking people around."

My jaw nearly dropped open in shock as the little pixie practically told everyone at the reception that she sneaked Bella to me and vice versa, which was absolutely true. Bella turned to Ally with a horrified expression on her face and dropped her fork. Then the crowd burst out laughing. Only the Chief gave me a warning look. I quickly looked at Carlisle, and he didn't seem to suspect anything as he was also laughing. Rosalie, of course, looked annoyed.

"I'll help you with it, if the boss-man lets me." Em deliberately looked at me. And once again, the crowd burst into laughter. I knew only two people in the crowd were laughing, thinking I was the "boss-man." Everyone else knew that I was the person Bella was having all those secret rendezvous with. To my great embarrassment, I felt a blush spread over my face. Shit!

"In your dreams, Em." I huffed, trying valiantly to keep up the pretence and give a meaningful answer as the groom and the boss-man. Another round of laughter followed. Em was about to open his big mouth again when Jazz got up.

"I'll take it from here, Em."

Oh! Thank God! I didn't know how much longer I could stay sane with all of Em's teasing.

"This is a union made with a higher purpose, to save the world, to eradicate hunger…I mean hunger for shoes—Ally got the chance to shop for bridal shoes twice." Jazz chuckled and gave the pixie a significant look. And to my amusement, she blushed. Guess that was part of an argument she gave him when he tried to talk her out of buying stuff.

"That being said, I think it's a match made in heaven. Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. I know you two love each other a lot. And thank God you got hitched! It was getting really difficult for me to survive in such a tensed work environment, filled with unfulfilled desire and need. Good heavens it was like living in a perpetual vortex, worrying that it might burst at any time—that I would catch you two in a compromising position." Carlisle actually looked shocked at this. Thankfully he was looking at a now tomato-red Bella and a fuming pixie! Jazz was going to get it tonight, especially since he mentioned shoes!

"And, believe me when I say…" We didn't get to hear what he wanted to say next because the pixie quickly got to her feet and screamed out loud.

"My turn, my turn!"

"I would like to say thank you to everyone who made my dream wedding come true on Friday, and thank you Bella for standing by my side through it all." Bella smiled up at her. Of course Bella had stood with her, she was her bridesmaid. So if you take it literally, Ally wasn't lying.

"And I hope the wedding today was everything you dreamed of and more." She smiled at Bella.

"And Edward, I hope you are enjoying the day. Thank you for giving me away. You are the brother I never had. I'm so glad we had each other to rely on and make the weddings a success." I knew she meant my wedding and also hers.

"Thank you, Ally, for being there for me as well." I smiled back at the pixie.

"Love you both, Bella and Edward." Oh shit! Did that sound too much? But Carlisle didn't seem to think anything of it.

"We love you too, Ally." Bella spoke up while I tried to compose a suitable response.

"Thanks for being my sis. Love you." I told Ally. This was turning out to be a very emotional time. Alice quietly sat down without saying anything else. I saw a few tears run down her cheeks. Jazz offered her his handkerchief.

"Congratulations, guys! All the best for the future." Jacob got up and held up his glass. Everyone drank.

"I would like to take this opportunity to make a grand gesture. Edward, sweetheart, if you ever get tired of your partner, remember always, I will be right here waiting for you." He sang out the last part to the tune of Richard Marx's song. I nearly spit out the champagne I just swallowed.

"Jake, this is not the time for a proposal." Jacob blanched at Bella's admonishment.

"Okay, okay right Karate. Anyway, as I was saying, I would like to wish you all the very best. Jazz, just remember I've already proposed." He quickly sat down. Thank God he remembered it was Jasper who was my boyfriend. _What the hell? Did I just think of Jasper and boyfriend together? _I think I drank too much champagne or this crazy business is getting to me.

I dared to sneak a glance at Carlisle, and he was laughing so hard he didn't even seem to notice that the champagne in his glass was spilling on him. Esme quickly moved to wipe his lap. Hmm…interesting.

"I would also like to say a few words." I heard a throat clearing and looked at Charlie.

"Thank you very much for being here at such a short notice to celebrate my daughter's wedding. I'm eternally grateful to everyone who made this possible. Bells, you married the right person. Congratulations." He quickly sat down.

"I would also like to say something. May I?" To my surprise, Carlisle got up from his chair.

"Sure." Bella smiled at him.

"Thank you very much for welcoming me, even after I gate-crashed your wedding. I was just looking for my son, Edward." The crowd went wild laughing, and Carlisle looked puzzled for a moment. I could imagine what they were thinking. _You mean your son Edward the groom?_

"Anyway, then I realised half my staff had gone missing along with him when I got here. Emmett, Seth, Jasper—guess you got roped into helping out with the weddings by these two ladies too." He laughed. "I knew they had Edward already."

"Of course they did! One has him by the balls, literally and the other with the puppy dog look alone. Edward would do anything for them." Em laughed out loud. Holy shit! _Was there no end to the teasing!_ The worst part was he was telling the absolute truth.

"You mean the evening before last?" Jacob asked as Bella gave him a horrified look. The Chief visibly blanched as Renee giggled. I didn't dare look at Bella. This was beyond mortifying.

"Guessed as much." Carlisle gave Bella a look full of meaning, while a half smile spread across his face. He must be remembering the time she confronted him in his office. "Hope you have a wonderful life ahead." Thankfully, Carlisle sat down.

"My apologies for crashing the wedding. I hope I don't have to crash Edward's and Jasper's wedding." To everyone's surprise Rosalie was the next person to speak.

"In your dreams, Rosalie," Jazz said out loud what I couldn't. Rosalie didn't even blink an eye. She just gave us a superior look as if she knew something we didn't. And the crowd went wild once again. To them, it was just harmless banter, but to us, it meant serious business. What was she up to?

I gave Rosalie a meaningful look. She nodded in understanding. The secret service had better do their job, without worrying about our sexual orientation. I knew Carlisle's reasons for being here, but what was Rosalie's excuse for not calling us in advance? Even if my phone was off, she could have still called Seth or Em—even Jazz, Ally or Bella. Why hadn't she?

**A/N: Thank you for all those lovely reviews :) If you haven't already, please check out my one-shot, "My Dream of Forever." I can't wait to hear what you think of it. **

**Why do you think Rosalie didn't inform the others about Carlisle's visit? What is her agenda? And what do you think about the er…speeches? Do you think the speakers managed to tease both the actual bride and groom without alerting Carlisle or Rosalie? Do you think they suspected anything? **

**I was very busy in real life this week. I had houseguests, so I had a lot to do. But thankfully, I finally managed to get the chapter done on time. Hope you enjoyed it. **

**Thank you Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter. **


	30. Chapter 30 Sealed with a Kiss

**Chapter 30**

**Sealed with a Kiss**

**Edward's POV**

"Anyway, congratulations—I hope I don't catch you making out again." Rosalie smiled at both Alice and Bella.

"Well, when you barge into people's private homes unannounced, it doesn't count as catching them making out," the pixie retorted. I quickly glanced at our audience. Charlie Swan's face was a vision of shock and confusion. As for the rest of the guests, they also looked somewhat stunned by this piece of information. The chief relaxed when I shook my head and smiled at him. But then another look of admonishment spread across his face when he realised just who Rosalie might have interrupted.

I decided it was time to put an end to the speeches before someone else said something more incriminating. As it is, we already had a lot of explaining to do to the chief.

"We would like to thank all of you for coming to the wedding. I hope you enjoyed the festivities. Well…until next time…" I scratched my head. _What else should I say?_

"What next time?" Rosalie asked. This woman! But, then again, why had I said until next time?

"What if Jasper and I have very different ideas of our dream wedding?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could think about it. Total and utter silence…you could hear a pin drop. I don't know who was more shocked—Rosalie or me. Then all hell broke loose. Jasper choked on his champagne, Carlisle cleared his throat, and the chief suddenly burst into laughter. The rest of the guests, who were staring at me in shock, joined him. Oh! Thank God!

_What was wrong with me?_

Bella pulled my hand gesturing to me to sit, and it was then that I realised that I was still standing. Shortly after the speech debacle, or rather "speech-gate," it was time for the bridal couple to leave.

Everyone started screaming for Bella to throw the flowers. She turned around with a huge grin on her face and threw the flowers right at Rosalie. I could see the horrified look on Rosalie's face as everyone clapped and asked for invitations to her wedding. She huffed and slammed the flowers on a bewildered Em's chest and disappeared down the footpath towards the house.

"It's time for the garter…oh shit!" The little pixie stammered, giving me a look full of pity. How I wished I could do it. I nodded my head, asking her to go ahead. We really couldn't do anything about this tradition. Bella looked like she was about to cry.

Ally dipped under Bella's skirts, and after what seemed like ages, she called out to me.

"Edward, it's stuck! Can you help me?" The pixie popped her head out of the skirts and gave me a look full of conspiracy.

"Edward… Edward… Edward" the crowd chanted. Oh God! Bella gave me a pleading look, and that's all it took for me to rush to her side. I dipped under Bella's skirts with the little pixie and she high-fived me.

"Thank you, Ally." Wow! I was under Bella's skirts. I quickly looked up to steal a peek but the pixie covered my eyes.

"Aw, Ally!"

"Nope! It's for later." She had the audacity to giggle.

"What are you two doing under there? Hurry up! We haven't got all day."

Em's shouting brought us back to the present, and I quickly pulled at the garter with my mouth. I was suddenly blinded by a flash. The pixie had just snapped a photo! She was giggling like a school girl. I could tell she was really enjoying this. I finally managed to pull the garter off and flicked it. It hit Carlisle right in the middle of his chest.

Oh shit! The look on Carlisle's face was one of pure bemusement. He had been speaking with the chief and was taken by surprise. He gave Alice a stern look, and the pixie gave him a Cheshire cat grin. It was evident Carlisle thought that the pixie had thrown the garter.

"Well, it's time to wrap things up. It's getting late." The chief gave me a look full of meaning. It was obvious he didn't want to prolong Carlisle's visit.

"So…that was…" Carlisle actually blushed when he looked at the garter he held in his hand.

"So when's the wedding?" I decided to tease him. After all the shit he inadvertently put me through, I needed to return the favour.

"Come on, Edward! I'm too old to get married." He was shaking his head, laughing.

"Never say too late, Dad."

He laughed. "That was quite a speech you gave, son." Carlisle grinned at me, and to my horror, I blushed.

"Er…thanks, Dad." I rubbed the back of my neck to relieve the tension.

"I want to have a word with Renee and the chief. Will you be long?" _Shit! He was planning to fly back with me. _

"I need a bit of time to help with the clean-up. Give me an hour or so." I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Bella before leaving. We had to come up with a way to live together. I just couldn't be apart from her again.

"Sure." He patted me on the back and walked towards Renee who was directing the guests back along the foot path. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hey there, hubby dearest." I felt a tug on my arm and pulled Bella to my chest, hugging her tightly.

"Missed you, love." I leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Missed you too, Edward."

"I'll have to fly back with Carlisle—he's waiting for me at the house. It will look suspicious if I refuse."

"I understand." Bella looked sad. Then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Do you have to go right now or… do you have a bit of time?" What was my angel up to now?

"I can wait another hour or so. I told him I needed to help with the cleaning."

"That's good. Give me a minute." And she was off like a rocket. The next thing I knew, she was shooing everyone out of the meadow and giving instructions to Alice and Jacob. The meadow was empty in no time, and it was just Bella and me.

"So, Edward, aren't you going to consummate your marriage?" Bella asked coyly while walking towards me.

"Huh?" was my bright reply.

"We are alone, and we've got the meadow for the next hour. So, my dearest husband, I think it's time you performed your husbandly duties." The words were barely out of her mouth when I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. Oh my God! My brilliant wife! She'd found a way for us to spend our honeymoon together…at least for an hour.

I didn't even bother to check whether everyone had left—I wanted to make the best out of our hour- long honeymoon. I pulled a table cloth from a nearby table and spread it on the grass, then picked Bella up bridal style and laid her down on it.

"My sweet angel, you look so beautiful." I looked at my Bella, my wife…I smiled at that thought. Bella really did look like an angel. Her white wedding dress flowing around her, a white lace veil adding that touch of ethereal beauty to her face, the wildflowers adoring her hair bringing a touch of colour, and the picturesque splendour of the meadow completing this vision of otherworldly beauty. She had a sweet, shy smile on her face and her dark chocolate eyes were burning with desire and untold secrets. I wanted to remember this moment forever. I took out my phone and snapped a picture. I just couldn't trust my mind to remember everything in exact detail.

"Edward!" Bella giggled. "And you look very handsome, Edward. I think the tux suits you." Bella tugged on my lapels, pulling me down to her to plant a wet kiss on my lips. Suddenly my angel's eyes grew huge like saucers.

"Oh God, Edward, we are married! My God I'm your wife," she said as if it was all new to her.

"Yes, we are, my love. And I get to spend the rest of my life with you." I kissed the side of her mouth.

"Edward, I just…I just can't believe it, you know… all of it happened so fast. It was just last week that I thought I'd lost you forever." I could see the glitter of tears at the corner of her eye. One tear drop spilled and I lovingly kissed it away. I held her lovely face in my hands looking deeply into her eyes.

"I know, love. You are mine now love. And I'm yours, forever. You will never lose me now, love." She could have no doubt as to the sincerity of my words. I spoke from my heart. I meant every word.

"I love you so much, Edward." I could see another silent tear escape unbidden from her left eye. I placed more kisses on her face kissing away all her fears and worries, trying to reassure her of my love.

"I love you too, sweetheart." I finally leaned down and took her delectable lips in a searing kiss. All the pent-up need from the past week overwhelmed me as I kissed her deeply.

"Bella, can I?" I looked deeply into her eyes, asking permission to make love to her the first time as husband and wife, to consummate our love.

"Oh, yes…" Bella's breathless whisper sent shivers down my body. My body raged with desire and I wanted to take her then and there, but my mind had other ideas. This was our wedding day, and I wanted to take things slowly, making love to my wife in a sweet and loving manner. I could make wild, passionate love with her later. But Bella seemed to have other ideas. She pulled me on top of her, kissing me with a hunger that called to my very being. I knew she needed me very badly just as I did. Bella's little hand was rubbing against my hard-on, and I knew I wouldn't last long if she continued with it.

"Wait….sweetheart. I want to make slow, passionate love to you today."

"We've only got an hour…" Bella looked at me desperately.

"I know, love, and I want to make the most of that hour. Let me undress you." I realised I hadn't seen Bella naked since the first day we made love. Even then we were in such a hurry that I didn't actually get the time to explore and get to know her body better. I sighed. Even now after getting married to her, I didn't have much time. But I was determined to take things slowly.

I reached behind her and pulled off the pins that held her veil. Her lovely locks broke free and surrounded her head in a halo of golden brown. I picked up some of the wildflowers that fell from her hair and pinned them back behind her ear.

"There…now it's perfect."

Bella giggled. Her hands reached up and pushed my coat over my shoulders. I let it fall to the ground. I reached behind Bella and tried to find the zipper on her dress and met with some very small buttons.

"Bella, can you sit up? I can't reach behind you." She quickly sat up, and I looked in horror at the row of small pearl white buttons adorning her back, holding her dress together.

"Oh, shit!"

"Er…sorry about that. It looked like a good idea at the time when I made the dress. At sixteen, I thought it was kind of sexy to have my husband undo the buttons one by one…the slow…burning desire thing." I grinned at the wild thoughts that my innocent angel must have had as a teenager.

"Well… I think it's sexy as hell too, love. The only problem is that we only have an hour."

"Here, let me help you." She reached back and started undoing the buttons. With both of us working fast, we got them all undone in record time. Bella stood up and pushed the dress over her shoulders and let it fall in a puddle around her feet. Wow! Just wow!

She wore beautiful, delicate white lace underneath, and I could clearly see the outline of her nipples through it.

"Your turn, Edward." I quickly stood up and pulled off my trousers. As I reached for my buttons, Bella put her hands on mine.

"Let me." She gave me a sexy little smile. One by one, my girl undid the buttons as I stood very impatiently for her to finish. She placed tiny kisses on every inch of skin she exposed. After an eternity, Bella pushed the shirt off me and stood back to admire her work.

"You kind of look sexy, in a nerdy way like that." Huh? A nerdy way? I looked down and blushed. I did make a spectacle out of myself standing there in my black bowtie, with my hard-on displayed very prominently against my tight, black boxers and my pants around my legs. We both laughed.

"Well, thank you." I took a bow and then quickly got rid of my shoes and socks along with my pants. I took off the ridiculous bowtie too. I saw Bella admiring my body, and suddenly I felt self-conscious. I was going to bare myself to this beautiful woman. What if she didn't like what she saw? I also felt a bit embarrassed. I really didn't know where all these feelings came from. I wanted so much to please my bride. And right now I was scared like a teenage boy about to make love for the first time in his life. I had already reached for my boxers, but I let my hands fall to my sides.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Mr. Cullen?" Bella's eyes lit with a mischievous glint.

"What?" I asked with a half-smile, deciding to play ignorant, knowing full well she meant the boxers.

"Guess I'll have to help you with it, since you don't seem to know what I meant." I gulped and nodded my head yes. I desperately wanted her to touch me.

Bella reached for my boxers. As she bent to pull the boxers off Little Ed smacked her right in the middle of her face when he got free.

"Aww!" Bella looked surprised as she fell back and landed on her bottom from the unexpected assault.

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry Bella. It's just…it's…" My words stuck in my throat as I watched Bella stare with her jaw hanging open at my junk. Then suddenly, without warning, she burst out, "It's so big! I can't believe that was inside me!" When she realised what she had inadvertently said, Bella blushed bright-red and rolled on the sheet, covering her face.

"Bella… sweetheart, look at me." I tried to pry her hands from her face. She finally let go and opened her eyes and stared right back at little Ed again.

"Oh! It's smaller now. Shit! Did I just say that?" Once again, she hid her face. This was funny as hell, but so very awkward, not to mention embarrassing.

I sat down next to her. I didn't dare ask her to look at me again. Instead, I whispered in her ear.

"Of course…it went down, I'm as embarrassed as you are, even more so. I'm the one naked while you are still wearing clothes." I turned her carefully and lay her on her back moving over her. She let me pull her hands away from her face. Her eyes finally opened and the intense look of need she gave me sent a shudder through my body.

"Can I, love?"

"Yes, Edward, I'm sorry for, you know, for commenting about…" She blushed again. "It's just that I've never seen…I mean, I've seen you, but it was really dark and I didn't get a good look the first time. I imagined… but… Shit! What am I saying? I think I need to shut up now." She giggled, and I laughed.

"Mmm..so you imagined what I looked like naked? That's kind of sexy," I said, brushing away her curls from her forehead, trying to put her at ease.

"Really?" She sounded surprised. A shy smile graced her lips.

"Bella…Bella, what am I going to do with you, love? You can look, touch, imagine or do anything with all of me, love. I'm yours now. We should be able to share everything together."

"Yeah…wow! That's kind of nice, you know." The contented smile that spread across Bella's face said it all.

"My wife…my Bella…" I couldn't help planting a kiss on the side of her lips.

"So now it's my turn to explore you."

"Aha." She quickly lowered her eyes and nodded yes. My shy little angel was back.

"I also didn't really get to see you properly that night. I was too eager to be inside you, love." I smiled at her, trying to convey how much I need her. Huge chocolate brown eyes stared at me as a delectable blush covered her face.

I leaned down, placing little kisses on her everywhere I could reach. First her face, then her neck and further down. When I reached her bra, she lifted herself so that I could undo the clasp. She looked so beautiful with her rosy nipples hard with need. I couldn't help suckling on them as Bella ran her hands through my hair. I ran my other hand down over her stomach and then reached the barrier of her lace panties. I touched her over them, covering her core and rubbing.

"Oh God, Edward—more please." Bella wriggled under me, trying to get more friction. I continued to kiss her as I slowly dipped my hand inside the band of her panties. She was already soaking wet.

"So wet…so soft…" I wanted desperately to taste her, but thought this was not the time to do that. I was too turned on, and we really didn't have much time. Little Ed was screaming for attention. I rubbed him against Bella's thigh, seeking some relief.

When I sucked on her breasts again, Bella came, screaming my name. I muffled the screams by kissing her hard on the lips. I hoped the chief and any guests remaining at the house had not heard her.

"Edward…I want you." Her breathless voice sent shivers down my body. I was already very aroused.

I sat up and quickly pulled Bella's soaking wet panties off her.

I couldn't help taking a moment to admire my beautiful angel laying there naked on the white sheet. Her lips were red and swollen from my kisses. A blush covered most of her body. She was still panting. Her body was bathed in sunlight streaming through the trees, making her look like a golden nymph. I realised I had also not really seen Bella properly the first night I made love to her. She was so beautiful.

My hand was shaking as I lovingly traced her from head to toe with my fingertips. She shivered under my touch. One of her hands reached up and covered my hand when it reached her glistening curls, pressing my hand to her need.

"So beautiful…Bella, love, you look stunning…" At my words, she opened her molten chocolate eyes. They were smouldering with desire.

"Edward...please." Her words brought me out of the dream-like state I was in, and suddenly my need for her overwhelmed me. I quickly positioned myself over her and plunged right in. The velvety softness and warmth surrounding me was amazing.

"Bella…oh God! So good. I'm not going to last."

"Me neither. Faster, Edward." I captured her lips in a searing kiss as I increased my speed. It was too much, the exquisite feel of her and the love I felt for her made me reach my breaking point all too soon.

"Now, love. Come with me." Bella clamped around me and I let go, screaming her name. I could hear her voice calling out to me too. I had never had such an amazing release. For a moment there, it felt like Bella and I were suspended in time itself in our little bubble. I didn't pull out but rolled her on top of me and held her tightly to me. I just couldn't bear to lose our connection.

"I love you so much, Mr. Cullen."

The intense look on my angel's eyes as she looked at me told me how much she meant those words. I felt as if my heart caught on fire. She was my life now.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen, more than life itself."

Bella's eyes glittered with unshed tears once again and the smile that spread across her face was glorious. We sealed our love with a deep searing kiss that touched our very souls with the love, desire and fulfilment we shared. In that precious moment in time, I felt that everything in life was just perfect.

**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews and we've passed 700! Wow:) So, what did you think of the secret honeymoon? Is it everything they wanted? Wish there was a meadow like that near me, I'd love to make love in one...What about you? What did you think of Alice and her strategy to get the actual groom to toss the garter? What did you think of Rosalie? What's her problem? **

**Thank you Twimarti and Dazzleglo as always for going through my work:)**


	31. Chapter 31 Making a Move

**Chapter 31**

**Making a Move**

**Edward's POV**

It was only a moment later that I remembered about the others who might still be at the house. _Hope the chief doesn't come out here with his gun._ But I now had every right to be where I was.

"Time to go, Ed. Em just called, and Carlisle is getting impatient. Jazz and I have finished our work in the forest, hope you have too ;)."

I smiled at Ally's text message. I knew the two of them were also engaged in the same "work" we had been doing. Guess it is time to make a move.

"Bella, we have to go." I could see the sadness in my bride's eyes as she looked at me mournfully.

"Do we have to?"

I pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and planted a soft kiss on her pouty lips.

"Yes, love." I showed her Alice's sms. She sighed.

"Edward, we knew we had to go our separate ways, didn't we? But it's so difficult. I thought we could spend the night at my place, at least for today."

I chuckled at her thought.

"And I had plans to take you to mine." I pulled her naked body against mine. She felt so soft and warm. I nuzzled her neck, inhaling her delectable smell.

"Why don't you?"

"That's a good question. I could still give Carlisle the slip." I nibbled at her ear lobe and Bella shuddered. I loved the reactions I could induce in her.

"Yes…oh…that's nice." She turned towards me and laid her face against my chest, placing a soft kiss on me.

"Just say you want to fly with Jazz and the two brides. No one will know where we go if you can land the thing somewhere other than at Cullen Enterprises. And with all that is going on I'm sure Carlisle would understand when you say you want to fly with Jazz." Bella winked at me. _Why didn't I think of this before?_

"I could land in my backyard," I sheepishly admitted, while playing with a lock of her hair.

Bella's eyes grew huge.

"Your backyard? You have a backyard?"

I scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah, well, kind of. I have a house too." I got the response I was expecting—Bella giggled.

"Gosh! I'm married to a very wealthy man! What was I expecting? It's just that…I never really thought of it before. And guess I'm going to come into some money as well. It just seems so…unreal somehow."

"I can understand."

"I was thinking more about…your million dollar body." Bella ran a hand through my chest hair, leaning down to lick a nipple. I groaned. I was already ready for round two. I watched as her hand slowly moved towards my lower abdomen. She hesitated a bit when she reached her destination, but then quickly grabbed hold of my shaft. Oh dear God! She was driving me mad.

"Bella…"

"Mm…?" She started stroking me, and I could tell by the look on her face that she was as turned on as I was.

"I want you, love. Are you…?" A beautiful blush spread across her whole body. That was amazing. Her nipples perked up as soon as I brushed the back of my hand against them.

"Want you too, Edward."

That's all it took for me to start kissing her again. We should have a few more minutes together before we had to head back. I wanted her badly. I lay back on the sheet and positioned Bella on top of me. I wanted to watch her as she moved over me.

"Edward…" Bella tried to cover her breasts when she realised that this way, she was on display for my viewing pleasure.

"Bella, love, you don't have to be shy with me anymore. I've already seen them, remember?" I smiled and another heavenly blush spread across her face, and to my delight, it covered her chest as well.

"I er…" I could tell she was not very comfortable with being on top.

"Bella, you did it before, remember?" She had ridden me in the doctor's lounge on that fateful day we had the misunderstanding.

"Yeah." She still wouldn't look at me.

"Look at me, love…" I pulled her chin up, and molten chocolate eyes churning with need stared right back at me.

"I want you so much, Bella. Let me see you…let me see you bring us both pleasure." A shy smile spread across her lips, and she quickly looked down again with her hair covering her face. I pushed her locks back, and she met my eyes again. I slowly pushed her hands away, revealing her beautiful breasts to my hungry gaze.

"You look so beautiful, love." I reverently reached up and touched her pebbled nipples. Bella moaned in desire. I ran a hand down and touched the wet curls at the apex of her thighs. She was spread open for me because she was now straddling me. She made such a beautiful sight. I could tell she was ready when she moaned my name as I stroked her bundle of nerves.

"Take me, love. I'm yours." I didn't recognise my own voice—it sounded alien to me.

Bella reached down and slowly took me in. I put my hands on her hips, steadying her and then helping her to ride me.

"That's it, my love." I encouraged her as she started moving. Oh God! I was trying very hard to hold back my release. The sight of her on top of me was mesmerising.

Her head was thrown back, her eyes shut. Her hair gleamed in the sunlight, and I could see red highlights in it. Her beautiful twin beauties stood out, proudly displaying themselves to me. A reddish blush covered them. I reached up to fondle them, and then leaned up to take one in my mouth. I sucked hard and Bella increased the speed. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, so I sat up to give myself some leverage and pushed into her at a more punishing rhythm. I kissed her deeply while at the same time stroking her bundle of nerves. When I felt her walls clamp around me, I let go. It felt even better than the first time. God! I don't think I will ever get enough of her. Just as we were coming down from our high, my mobile started ringing. I knew who it was straight away from the god-awful ring tone. _'I'm too sexy for my…'_ Why the hell had he programmed that song into my phone?

I picked up, and Em's voice shouted in my ear.

"Dude, shake a leg. The old man is getting impatient. Even Esme can't seem to distract him anymore." Shit! I've got to get Esme back to her son.

"We are coming." I rang Ally and asked her to meet us at the meadow. I wondered where those two love birds had gone.

"Let's get dressed, love. That was Em."

"Oh! We've got to drop Esme back, don't we?"

I quickly dressed and helped Bella with the buttons. I tried to straighten her dress, but nothing could hide the glow that came from her or her somewhat rumpled appearance. I'd just managed to pin up her veil when a very dishevelled-looking pixie came running into the meadow with an equally messed-up Jazz. I could easily guess what they had been up to. I quickly glanced at us and was surprised to note we didn't look as rumpled as them. Guess having the tablecloth made a difference.

"Let's get going. Where's my bride?" Ally let go of Jazz and started pulling Bella towards the house. Jazz gave me an apologetic look and started walking by my side. The pixie suddenly stopped, and we nearly crashed into her.

"Hey, I don't think we should arrive together. Why don't you two go first, then I'll come with Bella."

"That's a good idea. And I'm also thinking of flying with you two along with Jazz. We could land at my place."

"Won't Carlisle wonder why you are not coming to the office?"

"I'll just say it's easier for me. Anyway, I live close by to you as well." I saw a thoughtful look on the pixie's face.

"Hey, Bella, I've been thinking…why don't you move in with me? My apartment is actually rarely used expect for me to dress and stuff, so you can live there. Edward can pretend to visit Jazz and stay with you that way."

Bella's eyes met mine, and I smiled at her.

"Sure, Alice, that would be great—if you don't mind the trouble, that is." Bella sounded a bit hesitant, but I could tell she was happy with this idea.

"Of course, I don't mind. We could play dress up together." Bella groaned and Ally gave her, her evil pixie grin.

My phone began ringing again, with the god-awful song Em had programmed into it as his ring tone. _'I'm too sexy for my…'_ Didn't he have a better song?

"Dude! Where the f*ck are you?"

"Coming."

"You had better had already come, Edkins, Papa over here will not be impressed if you come in front of him."

"Jesus, Em, shut up." That comment was just disturbing. I shook my head.

"Oh, poor Edkins, didn't you manage to put your poker in the fireplace?" I couldn't control my laughter. God! Em was the only one who could come up with something like that.

"Yes. I did, Em, and I already kindled the fire." It was then that I noticed the stares I was receiving from the others. I was never going to hear the end of it if they figure out what Em had said and what I said in return.

"Bye, Em. We are on our way." It was then that I saw Bella's face. She was trying really hard to stop herself from laughing.

"What?"

"So you kindled the fire, huh?"

"I sure did." I smiled and placed a kiss on her little nose.

"Aha, Edkins, how exactly did you kindle the fire?" Jazz wriggled his eyebrows. I groaned. Guess they figured it out as well.

"You two, get moving. Jazz, if you mess this up, I will not let you kindle my fire for a week." Ally stood in her pixie stance.

"See you in a bit." I leaned down and placed a kiss on Bella's lips and walked away with Jazz.

**Emmett's POV**

"If you found a match for the fingerprints, who was it?"

Carlisle touched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.

"It's not easy to believe, Emmett. I still think there must be some mistake."

"Well, who was it?" I could see the triumphant smile on Rosalie's face. I didn't like this one bit. Carlisle had been to the office in the morning and found that someone had been messing around with his shipment files. He kept them in a secure room next to his office. No one had access to it, except for Carlisle. But they could tamper with the locks. We should have security footage of it from Carlisle's office, if someone did break in through there_. Shit! The tea room!_ Someone could have broken in through the small tea room next to the storage room. There were no cameras installed there.

I could tell Carlisle was hesitant to name the culprits. I turned to Rosalie.

"Who was it, Rosalie?"

"It was Jasper and Bella." I gasped. I was sure they had it wrong. Was Carlisle trying to frame Bella and Jazz in some way?

"What do you mean…Jasper and Bella? Do you mean to tell me that the fingerprints on the cupboard door match theirs?"

"Yes. We did a dusting and ran the prints against the employee database."

"So, their prints were the only ones that matched?"

"Edward's prints were there as well. But he did access those files from time to time, so there no surprise there."

"I see." Something was wrong here. Had Rosalie or Carlisle framed Bella and Jazz? Rosalie really had no reason to frame them. But Carlisle might.

"That's why I didn't call you before we came down. We were worried that you and Edward were being held here against your will, especially when Edward didn't answer his phone."

"That explains a lot." I sighed. It didn't look good.

"We didn't want to alert anyone before we came here," Carlisle said. He had actually arrived with his own personal bodyguards. They had tailed him to the wedding, but when they saw there was no danger, Carlisle had sent them back to the helicopter. I should have realised that Carlisle wouldn't have ventured out on a rescue mission without security.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, just to see what Carlisle would come up with. Jesus Christ! Edward was going to go berserk when he found out his new bride and best friend had snooped around. But then again, I didn't believe they had, especially Jazz. I was sure he had nothing to do with it.

"I didn't want to spoil the festive atmosphere here. So I didn't tell Edward about this, but I guess we should tell him."

"Can it wait till tomorrow?" I asked. I really didn't want to spoil Edward's wedding day by telling him that we suspected his bride of industrial espionage. _How the hell did Bella's prints end up on that door?_ _I'll have to check it myself._

"I don't see any reason why not. I have to go through all the documents to see what had been taken or messed with anyway. I could do that tonight. I have copies of everything so I could find out what the culprits were up to." Carlisle ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. His gestures were so similar to Edward's, but they were so different in nature.

"When did you last go through the shipment files?"

"Two weeks ago. That was when I filed the last set. I use my copies when I want to refer something. I don't bother with the original hardcopies in the cupboards."

"Oh, I see." I had hoped that he had gone through it within the last week when Bella had been away. But now she could have accessed the files the week before last.

"We should have installed a security camera in that room." Carlisle looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, I agree. I'll do that when we get back."

"Speaking of which, where is Edward?"

I was just about to pull out my phone to call Ed for the third time when he and Jazz came down the path. I tried very hard not to laugh when I took in their dishevelled appearance. Carlisle's eyebrows shot up and Rosalie shook her head in annoyance.

"So…er…shall we make a move, Edward?" Carlisle didn't meet Edward's eyes. Judging by the unholy gleam in Edward's eyes, it was obvious he knew what his father thought and was having some fun. I decided to tease him a bit. After all, he was the one who had given me the opportunity and I had had to spend the night at Jacob's again because of him.

"I see you made several moves, Ed." Wished I could call him Edkins, but I didn't dare to in front of Carlisle. I got my reward when Edward blushed along with Jazz. I could tell it was only then that the other man figured out what everyone else thought of their appearance.

"Let's get back. We have work to do." Rosalie turned away from the group and walked towards the two helicopters.

"Where are the others?" Edward asked.

"Inside. Waiting for you."

"Okay. I was thinking of flying with Jazz, Bella, and Alice, Dad. I could land at my house and give them a lift home. I'm really tired."

Carlisle sighed. I could tell he was worried about Edward going alone with them. I didn't know what to believe. Carlisle's concern did look genuine.

"Edward, can I have a word with you, son?" Edward quickly glanced at me. I guessed he was scared Carlisle had figured about him and Bella. I shook my head to indicate no.

"Sure, Dad." The two of them walked off to the side.

**Edward's POV**

"Edward, I have some bad news. I didn't want to tell you before since I didn't want to create a scene at the wedding." Carlisle held the bridge of his nose. This was not good.

"What happened?"

"Remember I told you about the shipment getting delayed?" I nodded my head.

"Well, I decided to check the original shipment documents of previous shipments to see exactly how many times this happened. When I went to the room, I could immediately tell someone had gone through the files. They were not in order, and you know how meticulously I keep my filing."

"Do you think they took something? Or were after some specific documents?" Someone in office was the culprit. It could be Aro's contact. It could be Tanya.

"I don't know yet. I tried to contact you right after but couldn't get through. That's why I hurried here."

"Who do you suspect?"

Carlisle sighed. I could tell he was hiding something from me.

"We are doing a fingerprint analysis. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Sure."

"Please take Seth and Emmett with you on the flight."

"Why?"

"Just as a precaution—we really don't know what's going on, so I'm worried about our safety."

"Who would want to come after us?" I can't imagine anyone holding a grudge over us. We had always been fair in our business practises.

Carlisle threw his hands up in frustration.

"I don't know, Edward. It's just a gut feeling. I have my own security with me. I will fly straight to the office with Rosalie."

"Okay. Leave someone overnight to guard the room."

"I'll do that. Emmett said he'll set up a security camera for the room."

"Guess we should have done that earlier."

I saw Rosalie getting impatient and walking back towards us. Carlisle looked up and frowned when he saw her.

"Yes. Anyway, see you later, son. Be careful." He patted my back and started walking towards the helicopter. Then all of a sudden he seemed to hesitate and turned around towards me again as if to say something.

"Did you tell him?" Rosalie who had just reached us asked.

"No." Carlisle shook his head. He ran a very agitated hand through his hair.

"Oh, what the f*ck." I was surprised to see Carlisle tolerate Rosalie's erratic behaviour.

Rosalie stormed towards me.

"Edward, someone was following Carlisle today when he was on his way to work. They tried to force him off the road. They even bumped him several times. Carlisle had managed to get away using his turbo boost. The license plates were fake when we checked it. He was worried and he contacted me trying to find you." I was never more thankful to the new and sophisticated additions Carlisle kept making to his already fast Bugatti.

Suddenly I was engulfed in a hug—Carlisle's hug.

"The only thing I could think about was you. Edward, I was so worried when I couldn't reach you. I just had to come and see with my very own eyes that you were okay, son." I could tell how shaken Carlisle must have been with the encounter. He was never one to show much emotion but right now he was practically holding me in a death grip.

I was still a bit shaken when Carlisle finally left with Rosalie after making sure I will call him when I got home. This was the first time he had ever made such a request. I couldn't explain the tumult of emotions I was feeling. Today for the very first time I felt as if Carlisle really loved me—that he really cared about me.

Bella and Alice walked into the backyard just as they took off. Bella ran to me as soon as she saw my face. I hugged her tightly to me as if she was my lifeline.

_What was going on?_ I could tell Carlisle was still hiding something even though he had told me about the ambush on the road. _Did something more happen?_ Emmett seemed to know what it was, but I could tell he was hesitant to tell me.

I felt a soft touch on my face. I met Bella's troubled eyes—her brow furrowed with worry. I reached out and wiped her brow with my thumb to erase the frown lines. Then I leaned down and placed a chaste reassuring kiss on her soft lips. I decided then and there that I didn't want to know any more details about what was going on. Right now I wanted to focus on my bride. It was my wedding day. I wanted to enjoy it and not worry about industrial espionage or delayed shipments or the company. At the back of my mind, I couldn't help worrying, though.

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews. So what do you think about Bella's and Jasper's fingerprints being on Carlisle's filing cabinet door? Do you think they've done something underhand which no one knew about? Were they spying for Aro? What about Carlisle and his surprising display of affection towards Edward? Was he setting Bella up and pretending? And where does Rosalie fit in? Was she with Carlisle? What about the car following Carlisle? Whose was it? Or was it also a make believe? **

**Thank you Dazzleglo and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter: ) **


	32. Chapter 32 Accusations

**Chapter 32 **

**Accusations**

**Edward's POV**

The sound of a throat clearing brought me out of my thoughts with a start. Bella had gone to the house with Alice to change and get our bags.

"So, is everything all right?" I turned and found the Chief right behind me.

"Yes, Charlie. I think so." His concerned gaze met mine.

"Did you hear about the break-in?"

"Yes. Carlisle just told me."

Charlie rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful.

"Who do you think did it? Could it be someone at office?"

"I think so. It was someone who had access to Cullen Enterprises." Charlie frowned at this.

"Bella told me that Carlisle just told you that he had met with an accident in the morning. Do you think the two incidents are connected?"

"I really don't know what to think. They could be."

"Just keep an eye out for any trouble, son. Bella is trained in firearms and self-defence. I trust her to take care of herself. But I still worry. Please take care of my little girl for me, Edward. She's all we have." I saw the pleading look in his eyes, and I could tell how much he cared about his daughter.

"I will, Charlie. She's my whole world now." She truly was.

Bella and the others approached us, and I saw Em and Seth load their things. It was after several tearful farewells that we finally boarded the helicopter and I prepared to take off. I had to say that even I was feeling a bit sad to leave this beautiful place and the people who had treated me as one of their own.

**Bella's POV**

I was amazed when we finally landed in Edward's backyard. It was a massive house in the outskirts of the city.

"Wow, Edward, you didn't tell me how beautiful the house was."

The others had left as soon as we arrived, and we were now approaching the house. Edward had informed me that there was a sophisticated security system protecting the house and the garden. I really didn't care about my safety. I was more worried about Edward and Carlisle. Even if Carlisle could be a nuisance, I truly believed he truly cared about Edward, and I really appreciated the fact that he came all the way to Forks, leaving everything behind to make sure his son was safe. I could tell Jazz and Seth didn't seem to share my optimism. They thought it was all an elaborate set-up by Carlisle to put us at ease with him and spy on us. I could tell Edward was hurt by their lack of trust in his father. But, I guess I couldn't blame them either because Carlisle still had Edward's phone and office bugged and was having Rose and Emmett spy on us.

"Come here, love." And suddenly I was airborne. I couldn't help the squeal that escaped by lips when Edward took me in his arms bridal-style.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm carrying my bride over the threshold." I laughed as Edward walked into the lovely house with me in his arms.

After spinning me around so that I could see the hall, Edward finally put me down. I slid against his body as I felt my feet finally touching the floor.

"Welcome home, my lovely bride." The look in his eyes was so intense. I felt myself drawn into their deep depths, making me understand how much this moment meant to Edward. He must have waited a lifetime to say those words, just as I had been waiting to hear them.

"Glad to be finally home, Edward." If it was even possible, Edward's glance grew even more intense. His eyes were embers of dark ebony. Although I could read desire in them; pride and possessiveness were the dominating emotions. I wanted to say something cheesy like "hubby dearest" but I couldn't bear to make light of this moment. It felt wrong to do that. This was the start of the rest of our lives. As husband and wife, we were going to start our life together. Coming home to what was hopefully soon going to be our house solidified that special bond we now shared.

His smouldering depths held me captive, and we stared at each other like that, drowning in emotion, lost in our own intense bubble for a long moment. As I watched, transfixed, the churning emotions of love, desire, protectiveness, and possessiveness fought for dominance deep within his eyes with a passion that promised to consume my very being. I felt drawn in and swallowed whole by his passion. I must have made some kind of noise because I heard someone pleading "please" in a voice that I faintly recognised as mine. Even as the echo of that request faded into the background, I was whisked away, and the sensation of floating made me realised I was being carried in the arms of my lover. We had yet to look away. Like a magnet, I was drawn to him. His scorching look was too compelling, and I couldn't bear to look away even to see my new home. I don't know how he found his footing, but suddenly a door slammed, and I finally blinked and focused on my surroundings. I gasped as I realised we were in a large bedroom. It was sparsely furnished with a large canopy bed with two bedside tables and a nice lounge chair, nothing else. I looked questioningly at Edward. This must be a guest bedroom. But…this large?

"I…I've not got around to decorating," Edward sheepishly admitted.

"That's all the furniture you have?" He pointed to a small cane laundry basket sitting in one lonely corner.

This was taking minimalism to an extreme.

"Well, actually yes, but I do have some stuff downstairs." Edward scratched the back of his head. I could tell he was a bit worried by my reaction.

"How long have you lived here, Edward?"

"Er…around five years." He looked sheepish.

"Why haven't you furnished it?"

"I just didn't have the time or the need to do it, Bella. I would have if I had known I was going to get married. I always intended to decorate the place before I brought home a wife. I'm sorry…I just…"

"Edward, I love the opportunity to actually furnish and decorate this house for us. Thank you for waiting for me to do that." I was glad that he hadn't furnished it— now we could do it together, making this our home in every way.

"Guess that was the reason I never seem to be able to make up my mind or have time to do the decorating. I was waiting for you, my love."

"As I was waiting for you, Edward." I reached up to touch his cheek, caressing it, trying to convey my love for him.

"I love you, Bella…so much."

"As I love you, Edward, my handsome husband." Like I hoped, this brought the crooked smile I love, so much to his face. I traced his lips with my fingers. Suddenly, Edward took my hand and kissed it.

"My sweet wife, please let me have the honour of making love to you." Cheesy wasn't a word I could use because Edward looked dead serious. I knew I was going to laugh later on, thinking of his antics to try and get me into bed with him, but not right now. Right now, his searing gaze was burning me, literally consuming me, engulfing me in a fire of desire. I shivered.

"My pleasure." I conveyed my need for him through my eyes as best as I could.

The next thing I know I was naked standing in front of a fully dressed Edward. I was only aware of my status of undress because Edward had finally stopped kissing me and pulled back to stare at me.

"So…beautiful…" His voice was velvety soft. I suddenly felt shy. God! The things this man had done to me today. The things I did _with_ him. And still I felt so embarrassed. I cleared my throat.

"I…I think it's time you took your clothes off, love, I'm clearly at a disadvantage." Edward looked down at himself.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. I guess I was bound by your spell." He crooked smile I loved so much pulled at the side of his lips. I watched as he slowly stripped for me. I knew what was underneath unlike the last time. I felt my heartbeat increase as I watched him remove each button as if working in slow motion. When he reached the final button, he pulled out his shirt from the waist band of his trousers. He even did this very slowly taking his time and rolling his hips…_rolling his hips? What? _ I looked up distracted by this unusual sway and met Edward's smiling eyes. He chuckled out loud when he noticed my confusion.

"Are you enjoying the strip tease, love?" _Strip tease?_ Shit! I'd been too enthralled to realise what he was doing…or at least what he was trying to do. He did need some lessons on how to do a strip tease like a pro but, I had no complaints. He had had me totally engrossed.

The next thing he did made me gasp out loud. He put his hand in his trousers and adjusted himself, then slowly lowered the zipper. I forgot to breathe.

"Breathe, Bella." He chuckled again. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get some semblance of control. When I opened them, Edward once again stood before me in all his naked glory. If I had thought he looked beautiful before, it was nothing compared to how good he looked now. Bathed in the silvery glow of the moonlight coming from the window, he looked absolutely stunning. The hidden planes of his body added a touch of mystery. My mind had already memorised the way he looked today in the meadow. But this was an all-new Edward. I ran my eyes greedily up and down his body, trying to remember every secret delight exposed for me, and only me.

"Bella…" His voice had turned rough, almost as if he couldn't get the word out.

I looked up and met his eyes. They were smouldering embers of desire. They drew me in and it became unbearable not to touch. Suddenly I was in his arms and he was practically devouring me. If our love-making was sweet and tender in the meadow, this was nothing compared to it. It was hard and fast. I felt his passion, his need and shared in it. It was absolutely perfect. My wedding night, shared with this amazing man, who had given me his whole world was everything I had hoped for and more.

**Edward's POV**

I felt as if I was stepping into another world when I got back to office on Monday morning. It was a world away from Forks and our wedding and also our idyllic, if very short, honeymoon. I was so glad I had been able to spend my wedding night alone with my wife in our future home. Alice had picked up Bella very early, taking her back to her apartment to dress for work. The house had felt empty without her. We had to figure out a way for her to live with me. I liked Alice's idea of us moving into her apartment for the time being. Bella was going to move there the next weekend. Em had phoned me early this morning and asked me to come in before the others did. He said he needed to tell me something in private.

When I walked into my office, Emmett was already there. To my surprise, Carlisle and Rosalie were there with him. I had a feeling this was going to be bad news.

"Good morning, Edward." Emmett's glum expression was a further red flag. He even used my whole name—too formal for my liking. I took a deep breath and decided I would take things as they came. There was no point in avoiding this, whatever it was. _As if I had the choice!_

"Good morning, Dad…Rosalie." Rosalie was the only one who grinned a devilish grin at me, giving me that all-knowing look. I had really come to hate that look of superiority. Carlisle, on the other hand, looked as if he would have preferred to be anywhere else than in this room right now.

"So what do I owe this early morning visit to?"

"We found a match for the fingerprints in the cupboard." Em looked at Carlisle.

"And?" I saw Carlisle nod his head infinitesimally at Em, implying that he was not going to be the one to say the next words.

"It was Jasper and Bella," he said in a defeated voice.

"What the hell? You've got to be kidding me." I couldn't help my outburst. _Not my Bella…_

"Unfortunately…no." Rosalie smiled again. I decided it would have been better if she didn't smile. My whole world just crashed. _My very best friend and my wife! No! I was not going to believe this nonsense!_

I remembered Bella's lovely brown eyes and the innocence and truth in them. Jazz had always been there for me, no matter what, all through the years. I was his only family. He had no reason to do this to me or the company. This was his bread and butter. Not at this point in time either. He just got married, for Christ's sake! A man had to be mad to do something like this right now. The only other thing I could think of was that Carlisle was lying. But he was meeting my questioning look with an unblinking stare.

Suddenly he stood up, throwing up his hands in exasperation and pacing the floor. "Damn it all! There had got to be a good explanation."

I stared in surprise at Carlisle's outburst. I hadn't expected that of him. He beat me to the punch line, that was exactly what I was going to say.

"I agree. Let's go." It was time to get to the bottom of this.

"Go where?" Rosalie asked in surprise.

"What?…to the room where all this supposedly happened." Rosalie didn't look so happy with that.

"Why do you want to go there? I already checked everything. And Emmett combed through the whole thing again. He even re-dusted!" Huh, that would explain why her hackles were up.

"Humour me," I said in a voice that brooked no argument. I was the boss, after all. I decided then and there that I had been too lenient towards Rosalie. We had all been tolerating her impolite behaviour because she was an agent and, it was time she received a dressing down. And I would get to it right after I finished with this business. I should have Bella there with me when I do that. "Edward is right—you may have missed something," Carlisle said as he ran a hand through his hair, turning towards Rosalie.

"Yes. We should have another look." Em looked troubled. I could tell he would give anything to prove Jazz's and Bella's innocence.

I didn't wait to hear what else Rosalie said before walking out of the door, although I heard her say something to Em. Carlisle followed me. My Bella…I have to somehow prove her innocence. Someone was trying to frame her._ Was it Rosalie? No, she had nothing to gain by it. It had to be someone else. Who was it? _

**A/N: Thank you very much for your lovely reviews! How did Jasper's and Bella's fingerprints end up on Carlisle's cupboard? Do you think they actually did it? Or was someone trying to frame them? What did you think of Edward's house? **

**A big thank you to my wonderful beta's Twimarti and Dazzleglo :)**


	33. Chapter 33 Solved it!

**Chapter 33 **

**Solved it!**

I decided to walk into the storeroom through the pantry door. Em was sure someone had picked the lock.

"It's so obvious, someone picked the lock. A cop's daughter could surely do it." Rosalie's smug look said it all.

A few choice words came to my mouth at this remark. Someone had to put Rosalie in her place. I decided I would wait for the dressing down later. I didn't want to deal with her right then, when I wanted to get to the bottom of this, preferably before Jazz or Bella arrived at the office. I also didn't want to get Rosalie's undue attention by openly defending Bella. What an untenable position to be in. I couldn't even defend my wife's honour. I hung my head in defeat.

"Rosalie, we don't know for sure." Em's voice had a pleading edge to it. I could tell he wanted to spare me the pain of hearing further proof against Bella's guilt.

"What more is there to look for, when you already have fingerprint evidence? For heaven's sake, are you guys blind? Or are you all just taking Bella's side now that she's an heiress? Does she get special treatment because of that? We should call the police."

"Jesus Christ, girl! Please stop your chatter. I didn't hire you to keep a live commentary— for that matter, if Edward or I decide to do something in this office, that is the final word. Do you understand me?" I tried very hard not to laugh out loud when I saw Rosalie's shocked face after Carlisle's outburst.

"And it will be like committing suicide if we get the police involved right now. If this leaks out to the press, our competitors will have a field day with it. We will lose business and get our name tarnished."

"But…" Rosalie barely got a word out before Carlisle spoke again.

"I want to keep all this under wraps till be find the culprits. I don't want to bring in the police. That's why I hired you. So get on with your work. And right now, that is helping with the investigation." I realised Carlisle still didn't know Rosalie was an agent.

"Where were the prints?" I looked at the small storage cupboards around the room.

"In the cupboard that holds the latest records. That's the only one I opened the past month. All the others are just backlogs. I rarely open the others. They are only for storage." Carlisle pointed to the top door of a very small cupboard near to his office door on the other side of the room.

"Were there prints on the other cupboard doors as well?"

"We haven't dusted them." Em looked sheepish.

"Why not?" I turned to him in surprise.

Rosalie huffed as if to say, "what's the point in all this?"

"I didn't think…oh hell! Let's do it now." Em started dusting the doors with a very reluctant Rosalie helping him.

"Can I see the print map, detailing where you found each print?"

Em handed me the file he had brought with him. I studied it for a bit and was surprised that only one set of prints were there for Carlisle, whereas there was an abundance of prints all over the door for both Bella and Jasper, like they had been handling this door many times.

"Edward, Bella's and Jazz's prints are not there in any of the other doors." Em looked puzzled.

"Well, Sherlock, what do you expect? They only wanted the current shipping documents."

"Oh! Rosalie, for Christ's sake, just shut up! I'm trying to think." Rosalie looked at me in surprise.

I stood for a moment, thinking about all the information we had now. Suddenly it came to me. I could almost feel the elation at finally figuring out what must have happened. I closely examined the door again, opening and closing it, using the gloves Em gave me.

"Carlisle, how many times have you opened this door?"

"Many times, I guess. It's my cupboard, after all."_ But there was only one set of his prints on it!_

"Okay, let's go."

I heard Rosalie asking,_ "now what?"_ and Em saying_ "shut up"_ in an irritated voice. _Finally! The man grew some balls_. I grinned.

I walked into the file storage room in my office. I grinned. I was sure I was right!

"Em, can you dust all these doors too?" Em looked at me as if I'd grown two heads, but he didn't question me—he just got on with the dusting. This time, Rosalie looked too irritated to help.

"Rosalie, help Emmett—we haven't got all day." Carlisle gave Rosalie a look that brooked no argument. Just then, I heard the lift door open and close. Shit!

I heard the sound of Bella's footsteps as she walked into the room next door. Then I saw her face peek in through the door with a sunny smile.

"What's going on, guys?" Her look immediately grew grim when she saw what we were doing.

"Oh, dear! Don't tell me! Someone broke into your office too, Edward?" Bella looked really worried about me.

"Hope nothing was taken. Jazz would know what the latest documents were." I saw Carlisle look at her very guiltily. Thankfully, he didn't say anything to her other than good morning, a greeting she returned with a rather glum look.

"Do you want me to do anything? I can help. My father taught me how to dust for fingerprints." Bella eagerly looked at Em. And poor Em looked as if someone kicked his favourite puppy. I know he felt really bad.

"You've done enough as it is, as a cop's daughter." Rosalie looked at Bella disdainfully.

"And what is that, Rosalie?" Bella asked with her hands on her hips. I could tell the wheels were turning behind in Bella's mind.

Rosalie got up from her position on the floor.

"We found your prints all over Carlisle's cupboard doors. What do you have to say about that?" Rosalie gave her all-knowing smug smile. How I hate that smile! I saw Jazz come up to the door behind Bella and look at the scene in front of him in surprise.

Bella's jaw literally dropped open in shock, but then she met my eyes. I tried to tell her I didn't suspect her and I trusted her with a smile of reassurance. I saw the look of understanding and gratitude pass through her face, before one of determination crossed it. She straightened.

"Well, as a cop's daughter, I know better than to leave fingerprints behind. I would have worn gloves."

Rosalie's eyes grew huge as saucers, and I heard Carlisle chuckle in amusement.

"Well, my dear, I believe you. But the question is, what were your fingerprints and Jasper's doing on my cupboard door?"

I saw Em run the prints he'd picked up against the database and stare at the screen in shock. I quickly looked to see what had come up. I couldn't help the jubilous grin that crossed my face when I realised I was right.

"Well, I think it was the same way your prints got on Jazz and Bella's cupboard door."

"What? I've never even been in this room, until today." Carlisle turned to me in amazement.

"I think they got there the same way Bella and Jazz's prints ended up in your cupboard doors." I saw everyone stare at me in questioningly. Then I saw a triumphant smile light up Bella's beautiful face.

"They switched the cupboard doors!" My brilliant, amazing girl—I couldn't help the proud smile I gave her.

"Yes, of course! Why didn't I think of that!" Em laughed.

"My God! You mean to say someone was walking around with cupboard doors under his arms?" Carlisle looked as if he still couldn't believe it. Rosalie looked anywhere but at us. Her eyes were downcast. I could almost feel pity for her sudden fall from grace.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. The doors are very small—the same height as a file. Someone could have easily put it in a briefcase or a laptop bag and smuggled it." Jazz looked thoughtful.

"There should be security footage from the outer office. We might be able to see who carried large bags or anything that could help them conceal a door and smuggle it around." Em was bubbling with excitement. I knew how relieved he must be right now.

"That really is a good possibility. You should also check the footage from the lift. In the meantime, I'll go through all the cupboards again and see if anything else had been disturbed." Carlisle too looked relieved.

"Yes, that's a good idea— whoever did this definitely wore gloves, like Bella said. This was done intentionally to frame Jazz and Bella. What I can't understand is why?"

Carlisle met my glance thoughtfully.

"Do you think it's because she's now an heiress? Bella, is there any clause that says you can't inherit if you are a criminal or something? It could be the only reason. If someone already found out you were married…" Carlisle paused to look at Bella. I saw a frown on my beautiful girl's face.

"I don't know, Carlisle. I haven't actually seen the whole document. I only got a letter from the lawyers about the terms and conditions of inheritance. It didn't say anything about it in there. But they might have left that part out." My girl looked so alone and scared, I wished I could cuddle her by my side.

"Don't worry, Bella, we'll find out who did this to you." Em pulled Bella against him, doing what I couldn't do. I smiled at Em to show how much I appreciated it—he just winked back at me. Rosalie huffed and suddenly walked out of the room. No one paid her much attention.

"Edward, I don't like to keep Tanya in my office without supervision anymore. She has too much freedom. For all we know she might have done this." Carlisle looked troubled.

"I agree."

"Guess I should hire another private investigator." Carlisle scratched his head thoughtfully.

I saw the mischievous look in Bella's eyes, right before she turned to address Carlisle.

"Another one? Do you mean to say you already have one working for you?"

And suddenly Carlisle looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and I tried valiantly to cover my laughter as a coughing fit, not that anyone believed me.

"Well, you see…I…Oh! What the hell. Bella, I hired Rosalie Hale to keep an eye on you."

"What?" Bella had her hands on her hips once again. Atta girl! She was playing her role to the hilt.

"Bella, what do you expect me to do when the granddaughter of the owner of a company we do business with comes to work for you? Aro also sort of hinted at some scandal concerning your mother and the reason behind her getting disowned by her own father."

"My mother ran away with her bodyguard. Grandfather got mad and cut her off. That's all that happened."

"I know that now. Your mother explained to me. I also saw the letter his lawyers sent you."

"I have no connections with my grandfather. I didn't even know you did business with him before I came to work for you. It's just that your firm offered good career prospects," Bella said, explaining.

"I understand. I'm sorry for spying on you." Carlisle smiled reassuringly at Bella.

"Apology accepted." Bella grinned at Carlisle. My girl was so forgiving. Carlisle smiled his charming smile at her while I gritted my teeth. Carlisle would never stop flirting I guessed. _Only if you tell him she's your bride_, a voice in my head whispered.

"And I'm glad you didn't have to marry that idiot son of Caius's, Alec." Carlisle smiled at her again.

"Me too!" Bella laughed.

"So then that's settled. Shall we get to work…mmm where is my co-worker?" Em turned around looking for Rosalie. She was missing in action. How very like her. But she owed an apology to both Bella and Jazz.

"Licking her wounds in private, I think." Jazz smiled broadly at me.

"I think you might be right." I grinned. It was nice to have my family back. Jazz walked up to me.

"Ed, you know I would never do anything to betray you, right?" His eyes were sincere. I smiled hugely at him.

"I know, Jazz. I never once doubted Bella or you." Carlisle gave me a questioning look.

"They are my friends, Dad. I know they would never do anything to hurt me." Carlisle seemed to think about what I said and nodded his head at me before bidding me good-bye with Em.

"So I'm just a friend?" Bella grinned mischievously at me.

"Well I wouldn't say 'just a friend' maybe a friend with benefits?" She gasped and I somehow held a straight face. I could play the game too.

"Benefits, huh, so if I was out with the girls and needed a ride home, I'd call my friend? Would that qualify as a benefit?"

I could see her face was trying to break out with a grin. Oh, my wife was good, but I knew I was better.

"You could call that a benefit. But come into my office for a moment so we can discuss this further." I realized that Jazz had left at some point and closed the door. I moved us into my office out of the line of the security cameras.

She followed me into my office and as soon as we were through the door, I closed it and spun her around and pressed her against the door kissing her soundly on the lips.

"I've wanted to do that since you walked into the filing room. I missed you, sweetheart." I kissed her again. "I wanted to be the one to hold you, not Em, but I was glad he was there for you."

"I missed you too. And, I would've preferred your arms." I held her tightly in my arms. "So what are these other 'benefits' that you speak of?" She laughed.

"There are many. I will always stand by your side, cherish you like no other and most of all I have a private bedroom for extracurricular activities." I grinned.

"Oh do tell me more about the private bedroom."

"I'll do better than that, I'll show you." I walked backwards, pulling her with me as I wasn't willing to lose the connection of her pressed fully against me. We entered the bedroom and I closed the door.

"Wow, this is lovely, what a view." She was looking directly into my eyes as her hands ran up and down my back.

"I know the view is marvellous from where I'm standing." I was looking directly into her eyes and then I leaned down to kiss my lovely woman.

I was going to take full advantage of these moments. Time was fleeting and I was not going to watch it fly by. No, I was going to reach out and stop the clock any time I could.

**A/N: Thank you very much for your lovely reviews. So the mystery about how it was done was solved, but who did it? Do you have any ideas? **

**A very big thank you goes out to Twimarti and Dazzleglo for Beta'ing this chapter. **


	34. Chapter 34 Drama

**Chapter 34**

**Drama**

**Bella's POV**

Someone was trying to frame me. I felt a cold chill go down my spine, even as I held on to Edward. We had just made love in his private bedroom adjoining his office.

"What's wrong, love?" My loving husband asked me. My husband…I still couldn't get over the wonder of being Edward's wife.

"Just thinking about what happened. I can't imagine why anyone would want to frame me."

"I know, love." Edward looked thoughtful as he lovingly stroked my hair. He planted a very soothing kiss on my forehead.

"Who do you think would want to frame me? And for that matter Jasper?"

"I can imagine someone wanting to frame you because of your connection with the Volturi. But Jazz…" he shook his head. Edward's skepticism triggered something in the back of my mind.

"Hey, I've got it. They didn't want to frame Jazz, it's just that his fingerprints were there all over that door. So they can't really take them off leaving mine without smudging and making it look suspicious."

Edward suddenly sat up.

"Yes! That's it. I was also trying to find a reason why they had Jazz involved in this thing. So someone is after my wife! Who now owns half of this company and the whole of the Volturi enterprises! So who cares if she goes and opens up all the secure cupboards in this whole office! It's hers anyway." And he started laughing. Trust him to come up with something to laugh about.

"Edward! My God, you are right! I never even thought about it in that way." But the last thing I felt like doing was laughing.

"Admit it. You forgot you married a billionaire. And you are going to be one in your own right too." I felt my stomach somersault, and not in a good way either.

"Oh! My God, Edward! I could do without all that money. If I could have enough for my treatments and any other medicine Charlie would need, I'll be more than happy." And I meant it. I had had a very happy and simple life with my parents. We had our own financial trouble, but we just learned to do without some things.

"I can imagine the life you must have lived, Bella. I would give anything to have my mother back with us and go back to the time when we were all a family." Edward sighed. I could very well picture the little boy who must have had a loving family around him.

"I know, Edward. I was also very happy growing up, even though we didn't have much. Our family was close and we always took care of each other. I think happiness can never be bought with money."

"I agree, love. Money corrupts and sometimes makes people very distant." I was sure he was talking about Carlisle. I just rested my face against his chest, offering him comfort. He pulled me closer to him and hugged me tight.

"Edward, we will always have a happy life together no matter what. I don't give a damn about your money or mine. The only thing I hope it will bring is some new additions to our little family. Other than that I just don't care, as long as I have you by my side." I felt the tears run down my face. There was a good chance my wish wouldn't come true, but I could still wish for the impossible.

"Love you, my Bella. Love you so much." Edward leaned down and kissed me soundly on my lips. I could detect a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes. He carefully wiped down mine.

"I love you too, Edward."

"And I trust you, Bella. No one can make me doubt you ever."

"Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me. And I trust you, Edward." I smiled up at my husband as he ran a finger down from my forehead to my lips.

"So you want kids?" Edward gave me his signature crooked smile.

My smile was threatening to weaver. Oh God! This was a question I was dreading.

"Yes, more than anything in the world," I answered truthfully.

"So let's have them."

I buried my head in his chest. It wasn't that easy. Hell, it was impossible.

"I'm serious, Bella. Let's start treatment right away. We shouldn't delay things. I read up on your condition and they say that you should not put things off." Oh! How I loved this man. And how I wished I could start the treatments now itself.

"Edward, I would love to. But my grandfather hasn't yet given me the inheritance." I sighed. I hope he takes my pretend marriage to Alice seriously and gives me at least a little bit of money so that I could start on the treatments.

"Bella, we can start right away. You already have the funding."

"I do?" I did have some savings…but…

"Bella, you are my wife, and we are a family. We both want kids so let's spend our money on the necessary treatments." He smiled down at me. I must be the stupidest woman alive! We'd been talking about me marrying a billionaire just a few moments ago, and I had already forgotten that it meant I would have all the financial security I will ever need in my life.

"Oh! Edward! Thank you! Thank you thank you!" I couldn't hug him tight enough. He really did want to do this with me. And now I wouldn't have to worry about being a single mother. I knew Edward would be with me every step of the way.

"Hey, I'm doing this for me as well, love. I want kids too you know."

I laughed. He was just trying to make me feel better. _What man in his mid-twenties would want to burden himself with a wife and kids all at once, after enjoying a long bachelor life?_

"I'm serious, Bella." He did look serious. Oh God! What if I really can't have kids even with the most sophisticated treatments?

"Edward, you do know that it might not work, right?"

"I know, love. But there is nothing like trying, right?"

"I know."

"Hey, don't cry, love. Let's take things as it comes okay? We've done well so far. So let's keep trying." I nodded my head in agreement.

"What about the problems with the business? We don't really know who is trying to frame me."

"We'll figure it out, love. But time is a luxury we don't have when it comes to starting our future family. So let's go ahead with the treatments and hope all this gets resolved soon."

"I don't want our children to be in danger."_ What am I talking about? What children?_ Most probably I won't be able to have any.

"I know, love. But this is a chance we will have to take. Esme told me how serious your condition was. And everything I read on the internet says the same. So let's do our best while we can."

Edward's phone beeped.

"Rosalie is here. I think she wants to talk to Bella." Oh, shit! The last thing I wanted was another confrontation.

"I'll go talk to her, Edward." He didn't look very happy with the idea.

"I'll come with you. She might not have many nice things to say." Edward frowned.

"Come on, Edward. It's time I gave her a dressing down. I'm supposed to be her immediate boss right? I guess it's time I started acting like one."

"I suppose so."

"Edward, if I don't do this and confront her, she's never going to work properly with us. Right now we need all the support we can get. We are in too deep with this whole mess."

Edward sighed.

"Okay, fine." He stood up and I couldn't help staring at his naked form. I'll never get tired of looking at Edward like this.

"Bella!" He chuckled when he caught me ogling him. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

"You can look you know. It's just that, I have very inappropriate responses to your looks. And right now we can do without it." He looked down at his semi. Wow! I did that? I was still amazed that I could get this type of a response from Edward.

"Let's get dressed." Edward helped me up and I quickly put on my clothes and combed my hair. We called Jazz when we were ready. He came into Edward's office.

"Bella, I set up another security camera on the filing cabinet in front of you. I don't like the idea of you talking to that woman alone without us being there. She pulled a gun on Em. I just don't trust her." I could see the concern on Jazz's face.

"That's good thinking man. I feel much better about Bella's talk now." Edward patted Jazz's back, and to our amazement Jazz cringed away from the touch.

"Oh, God sorry man!" He immediately apologised.

"What? I'm not going to eat you." Edward laughed in return.

"I'm only touching you, my little angel." And Edward deliberately tried to hug Jazz. I couldn't help laughing at the expression on Jazz's face.

"Enough you two—we've got work to do." I had barely got the words out when Rosalie burst into the office without knocking.

"Oh" she looked from Jazz to Edward. Edward had his hand around Jazz's shoulder while Jazz's hand was on Edward's chest as he had been trying to push Edward away.

"Rosalie Hale, do I have to remind you to knock before you enter an office room?" Edward looked furious as he slowly removed his hand from around Jazz's shoulder. I saw Jazz visibly flinch this time.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I just want to talk to Bella for a moment." She looked pleadingly at me.

"Sure. Let's use my office." I looked at Jazz and he nodded his head. I hoped the camera was working.

"So what do you want to talk about?" I asked as I sat back on my chair. I was very tensed up, so I deliberately made myself relax and assume a pose that could be thought to be one of ease.

"I just want to apologise for my earlier behaviour—for suspecting you of going through Carlisle's files." She looked directly and me and sounded sincere. I guess she was.

"That's fine. It's a mistake anyone could have made. But I don't like your attitude. This is a work place and I'm your boss. So I expect you to treat me as such."

"I'm really sorry, Bella."

"Let's not make this a habit. And see that you get all the work I give you done on time. I don't like tardiness, and I don't like the way you got your work done through Angela." Rosalie didn't look up. I could tell she was ashamed of what she had done.

"We are all professionals here. I expect you to do your job and help me do mine. The office can't be a place for emotional outbursts." I wanted to be clear on this. Rosalie's erratic behaviour was something I found very difficult to deal with.

"I try not to. It's just that so much is going on in my life right now, after my breakup with my partner and all." Huh?

"I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't know you were in a relationship."

"It was just over three years ago. His name was Royce. He treated me like shit. I should have broken up with him ages ago. All men are like that. Before him there was Luther. He was the same. The only difference was he didn't hit me while Royce did." I could see the tears running down Rosalie's face. She had gone through a lot.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Rosalie. I didn't know about any of this. If you want to talk, as a friend, I'll always be there for you." I could tell she was too proud to open up to people about her past. And it must have cost her a lot to talk to me now.

"All men are shitheads." I saw her wiping angrily at her eyes.

"Not all men, Rosalie, some are very decent. It's just that you must have unfortunately met the bad ones." I didn't know what to say. I could now understand why she was not that welcoming when Em tried to be nice to her.

"I don't know. But I think I'll be better off with a woman." Oh God! I was right then. She had an interest in women.

"You might be right. Just take things easy."

Suddenly, she stood up sobbing.

"You tell me to take things easy, when the woman I love just married someone else, and didn't even bother to invite me."

"Rosalie…what?" I felt myself stand on legs that had suddenly changed to jelly.

"I love you, Bella." She was out of the door before I could get another word out. I felt like the whole world was tilting upside down. I sat down heavily on my chair just as Edward burst in through the connecting door, closely followed by Jazz.

"Are you all right, love?" I felt Edward taking my hands in his kneeling on the floor in front of my chair. I tried to reassure him with a smile but I knew it resembled more of a grimace.

"This is a f*cking nightmare." Jazz shook his head.

Edward started to say something, but before he could open his mouth we heard a loud crash and a bang from the outer office and someone's scream. We rushed out to see what was going on and found a scene of utter chaos in the outer office. Emmett was in the middle of the floor clutching his gut. Angela was the one screaming. I heard the lift door closing with a sobbing Rosalie inside the lift. My eyes turned back to Emmett, who was now sitting down awkwardly on the floor still holding on to his family jewels.

"What the hell happened?" Edward kneeled down on the floor next to Em and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I have no f*cking idea man. I just brought Rosalie some flowers and asked her out on a date. She threw the vase at me then kneed me on my balls. This shit hurts man." Emmett was still nursing his wounded ego and er…other parts.

"Holy shit man, you couldn't have found a better time to ask her out." Jazz shook his head in despair.

"What, why?" A bewildered Emmett asked.

"Rosalie just declared her love for Bella."

"You've got to be kidding me." Emmett looked from Jazz's face to mine. And I shook my head indicating that Jazz was telling the truth.

"Jesus Christ! No wonder the woman cracked up. But still she didn't have to hurt my balls." I noticed a small cut on Emmett's forehead and looked for a first aid kit to take care of it.

"He didn't do anything, Edward. He just gave her the flowers and asked her out. I thought it was really sweet of him." Angela finally spoke up as she handed me a small first aid kit. I quickly wiped the blood from his forehead and put a small plaster on.

"Thank you, Bella."

"You are welcome." I smiled down at him.

"Man, I'm never going to ask another girl out again." Emmett put his head in his hands rubbing at his forehead.

"Em, come on man, Rosalie is plain crazy, just forget what happened and ignore her." Jazz tried consoling Emmett.

"Em, Jazz is right, let's get back to work, there's so much to do, unless you'd like to have a doctor check out your junk?" Edward asked concerned.

"No man, I'm fine. It's just that she took me by surprise. Anyway, I'll go through the footage now and make an edited version of everyone who could have carried a door with them." He finally stood up with Edward's help but still winced a bit in pain.

"Carlisle called a meeting at 2.00pm to go through the footage. I'd better have it ready by then. In fact I wanted to tell you about it after I asked Rosalie out." Emmett gave Edward a disparaging grin.

"Don't let this get to you, Em. We'll work through this. It's just that she's going through a difficult time."

"Ed, to be frank, I've had enough of her erratic behaviour. I don't think I want to have any type of relationship with her again." Emmett sighed.

"Anyway, let's get back to work. Angela, please come into my office. I want to update you on what has been going on in this office. I think it's time you knew more." Edward glanced at Jazz and me and then went back into his office followed by Angela. I felt bereft when he left but I understood that he couldn't show his affection to me in front of Angela. Jazz patted me on the shoulder and walked back into our office. I turned to Emmett.

"Em, I think you should see the footage of my talk with Rosalie. You'll get a better idea of what just happened."

"Sure." I walked back into my office closely followed by Em. I didn't know what was going to happen when he reviewed the footage from Carlisle's office. Will we find the real culprit? And what were we going to do with Rosalie? It was going to be very awkward to work with her now. I sighed.

**A/N: So what did you think of Rosalie's outburst? What about poor Em? **

**I was on vacation last week so I was not able to respond to your lovely reviews. I'm very sorry about that. I managed to find a wifi connection and upload the chapter through my phone but it was not possible to stay logged on longer. I'm now down with a flu after my holiday, must have caught some bug. So the end result was that I got late to write this week's chapter and didn't have time to send it to my betas. So please excuse me for any errors in this chapter. I decided to upload it anyway since you would be waiting to read the new chapter today. **


	35. Chapter 35 Everybody loves Bella

**Chapter 35 **

**Everybody loves Bella!**

**Edward's POV**

"Boss, we've got a car following us."

Shit! This was the very thing I had been dreading since morning. When Bella suggested that she and Alice should start moving some of her stuff to Alice's today at lunch break, I had felt it was a bad idea. She didn't want me to come along because the others might become suspicious. I also had a lot of stuff to catch up on since I had been missing most of last week. Jasper had done his best, but there were a lot of things pending. I had grudgingly agreed to let her go after she and Ally both pleaded with me. I had let my heart rule over common sense. Spending even a night away from her now that we were married seemed impossible to me. So I had been as eager as she was to get her things moved. I cursed myself for my stupidity.

"What's the make of the vehicle?"

"Looks similar to the one that followed the big boss, but the licence plate numbers are different." Of course they'd be different. I sighed. It was most likely the same people who had been after Carlisle.

"Where is Rosalie?" I hated the fact that Paul seemed to be the one following Bella today. I thought Rosalie was supposed to do that. I had actually agreed to Bella's trip thinking a trained secret service agent would provide enough protection for my Bella.

"Rosalie said she wanted a long lunch break today. And I agreed to take over. She did offer to cover my evening shift." Double shit! I didn't want Rosalie following Bella in the evenings because that was my time to be with her. I knew I could just ask Paul to leave, telling him I would be with Bella and the idiot would never think twice about it. Em and I had agreed on it. Em must have not known about this change, otherwise he wouldn't have let Rosalie let Paul cover her.

"Did you tell Bella?" We had already informed everyone that Bella knew she was being followed.

"No, Sir." Thank God! I didn't want her to worry unnecessarily. But I wanted them to come back to office right now before anything happened. Carlisle had been lucky and I knew he was also a good driver. But my Bella…I had to get to her.

"Where are you now?"

"Bella just turned into a McDonald's drive-through."

"What the f*ck? Why does she want to go to a drive-through? We just had lunch."

"I don't know. Wait, she's calling me."

"Put me on conference."

"Paul, we have a car following us. I think the vehicle is the same one that followed Carlisle. I'm going to go back to the office now. I don't think we should go to my place right now. I pulled into the drive-through to confuse the other car. I'm just going to buy something and take the exit on the opposite side. He won't expect me to do that, he's waiting parked on the curb near the exit we came from. After I drive off just follow him and see where he goes. I'll drive straight back to the office. Please let Emmett know of the change of plans."

That's my girl! I had forgotten she was a cop's daughter. Of course she knew she was followed. She must have even noticed before Paul.

"Bella, are you all right?"

"Edward, is that you?"

"Yes, I've just been talking to Paul. I heard what you said."

"Okay, that's good. I'm fine, Edward. Don't worry about me. I'll just drive back to office."

"Please let Paul follow you back to office. I just don't want you driving back alone without back-up." I heard her sigh on the other end.

"Okay. Paul, change of plans, drive straight to the next turn and drive to the exit that I plan to take. Then follow me back to office."

"Okay, Bella." Paul responded.

"Thanks, Bella," I said with relief.

"You are welcome, but you do realise that we are missing the chance to discover what this creep is up to don't you?"

"I know. Please just…" I sighed. "Bella, your safety means more."

"I understand, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to your hare-brained plan. You do know I know how to take care of myself don't you?"

"I do and I trust you. It's just…"

"I know…okay, I'll drive back. Could you at least inform Emmett about all this?"

"I'm on the call too, Bella. Get back safely. I'm sending Seth after the other vehicle." I heard Em's voice on the call. I was glad Paul at least had enough sense to connect Em.

"I'm nearing the drive-through window, do you want anything?" _What? Was she joking?_

"A big Mac for me, Jellybean with extra fries." Trust Em to order food even with so much going on. I guess Bella did need to get something to look like her drive was authentic.

"On it, Emmett."

"And Jellybean, call me Em."

"Will do, Emmybear." I heard Em's chuckle on the other end as Bella disconnected.

"Em?"

"I've got it, Ed. Try not to worry. We are dealing with Bella here. Don't forget she's a cop's daughter. I like her idea of the drive-through rouse. It's good thinking."

"I know, Em."

"Hang in there, she'll get back."

"See you at two." Carlisle had set up a meeting to review the tapes from his office at two. We were all supposed to meet-up for that.

"Sure. Don't eat my fries before I get there." I hung up without responding. Trust Em to make me smile even when things looked really bad.

The next twenty minutes were the longest I had spent in my whole life. I wanted so much to call Bella or Paul and ask for an update, but I didn't knowing that I will just be distracting them. I knew I could call Ally but I hesitated. The pixie must be very excited as it was and her talking on the phone would distract Bella. Oh! God! The pixie…if something happens to Ally…

Jazz kept me company. He was pacing the floor non-stop and I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was making me dizzy. I could imagine what must be in his mind now. We had to get the girls back safely—I didn't even let myself consider the alternative.

Suddenly my office doors swung open and Bella flung herself into my arms. I have never known such relief as I was feeling at that moment. I kissed the living daylights out of my girl. I knew Jazz was hugging Ally near me. The endless string of excited chatter told me I had made the right choice in not calling the pixie. Bella and I had run out of air and had just pulled back to breathe when the doors suddenly burst open again and Carlisle stepped in followed by a very hassled looking Em. I could tell he had been running. My father must have beaten Em, who must have tried to get here to warn me.

"Bella, what happened? I just heard about it." I saw Carlisle frown at the picture before him. Shit! The last thing we wanted right now was a confrontation with Carlisle. Bella too seemed a bit disoriented. I guess my kisses were too distracting.

"Oh! Carlisle! I was so scared! They gave chase and I didn't know what to do. Bella was so calm. I mean she practically just handled everything and took care of me." And suddenly Bella was out of my hands and she was in the arms of a sobbing pixie. I didn't know whether Ally was actually scared or she was a good actress. Either way, Carlisle's frown disappeared and it was replaced with a look of concern.

"There…there, Alice. You really shouldn't worry you know. We had you followed anyway. Rosalie is a good agent." I looked at Carlisle in surprise.

"I contacted the secret service after the incident with the filing cupboard. I didn't want us getting blamed for anything illegal that might be in those shipments. Imagine my surprise when I was told we already had two of their undercover agents working for us." He gave me a stern look. I couldn't help the sheepish look on my face.

"It's okay, Edward. They told me that they had specifically asked you not to tell me. I can understand their point of view considering how closely I'd been dealing with Aro." He ran an agitated hand through his hair. I felt like shit. I didn't know what to say.

"Dad…"I started anyway.

"Don't worry, Edward. It's all fine. I understand. They explained that they wanted me to act normal and didn't want to let me know in case I found it hard to maintain the secret. I think it was for the best. Anyway, they informed me about their suspicions and I have agreed to keep them updated on everything."

"That's good." I tried to smile, and finally did smile when Carlisle patted me on my back. I could tell he didn't hold this against me. I sighed in relief.

"So Bella what happened?" Bella was now comforting the pixie who had actual tears running down her face. Wow! I tried very hard to remember whether the pixie did any drama in university. I couldn't get myself to think of the other possibility…that she was scared. When I pulled her into my arms, the pixie held me tightly as if her life depended on it. By now she was sobbing. And I realised that she really was very shaken with what she had gone through.

I kissed the top of her head.

"Shh Ally, it's okay. You are with me now. I'll never let anything to happen to you, if I can help it. Do you hear me?"

I felt her nodding. I saw Carlisle frowning again, while watching me with Ally. That should give him something to think about. I loved both girls. He met my eyes and I was surprised to see a touch of sorrow in his eyes. I gave him a questioning look. He sighed and shook his head and then looked at Jasper, who was watching me and Ally. Then he sighed again. _What was all that about?_ I looked at Em who gave me a huge smile. Bella was now in his arms.

"So Jellybean, where's my Big Mac?" Carlisle looked at Em as if he had grown three heads.

"Oh! It's still in the car. I forgot to bring it up. Shall I go get it?" Bella asked with a big smile.

"What the hell? Don't tell me all this happened because she went out to get a big mac for you." Carlisle's sudden temper took us all by surprise.

"No, Carlisle. We actually went to move my stuff to Ally's from my place," Bella said with another smile, after giving me a look that said let's go with the flow. I guess there was nothing wrong with Carlisle knowing that Bella was moving in with Alice. In fact he would be more suspicious if she didn't.

"Where are you living?" Carlisle still looked very upset. He didn't act all that satisfied when she told him.

"I know your condo has security, but I'm not comfortable with that."

"But Carlisle, you've got us followed everywhere and even today Paul was with us."

"What do you mean Paul was with you? Where was Rosalie?" Carlisle looked puzzled and angry.

"On an extended lunch break no one knew about." Em informed him and I could tell he was furious with her.

"You mean to tell that idiot Paul was the only security the girls had?"

"Hey, I'm trained in self-defence." Bella looked offended.

"I know you are a cop's daughter, Bella. But your safety is our responsibility as well now. I know Alice is like a sister to Edward. And I owe your grandfather. In fact I guess we should inform him about all this."

"Let's not tell him just yet, Carlisle." Bella pleaded with him.

"Okay, fine. I guess you don't want the information about the wedding coming out before your birthday?"

"Yes." Bella and I both answered at once.

"Fine—then I think you moving in with Alice would anyway be a bad idea if someone found out about it."

"But…" I started to speak. I didn't really know what I was going to say, but hell I had to have Bella with me. In fact I didn't want her out of my sight even for a minute.

"I have a good security system installed at my place. I also have my own bodyguards…" Carlisle closed his eyes and touched the bridge of his nose.

"I think you should move in with me, Bella," Carlisle said with a very serious look on his face. _What the hell? _

**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews. So what do you think of what Carlisle suggested? Do you think he's still interested in Bella? Or is he trying to get her alone? **

**Thank you very much for all the well wishes I received. I'm still feeling a bit out of sorts but I think I'm slowly getting back to normal. Unfortunately, this chapter is also not Beta'd. I couldn't get it written in time to send it to my betas. So I'm very sorry about any mistakes in my writing. I have named this chapter 'Everybody loves Bella' at the suggestion of 'That'sMzPeaches TYVM'. Thank you for coming up with the name. She thinks everyone loves Bella. I guess she's right. **


	36. Chapter 36 A Touch of Reality

**Chapter 36**

**A Touch of Reality**

**Edward's POV**

"What the hell? Are you kidding me? We just got married, as in wife and wife. I'm not going to let Bella out of my sight—especially with all the crazy stuff that's going on," the pixie said what I couldn't say and I gave her a big smile of approval. She winked at me, but the look that she levelled on Carlisle was one of anger. Ally should have gone for a career in acting.

"Now look here, Alice…" Carlisle barely managed to open his mouth when the pixie interrupted him.

"Are you out of your mind? You want Bella to move in with you, when you yourself nearly got killed. They'd be very happy to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, if both of you cooperate and stay in one location." Ally now stood in her pixie stance and for once Carlisle was speechless just staring at her.

"We do need a bit more security. Since Alice lives in a condo they have guards at the gate and it should be more secure than the Bella's apartment." I decided it was time to speak up.

"Who says Alice's condo is secure? I once simply followed them inside and no one asked me for my credentials. The guards just asked me for the condo number and I rattled off a number from the top of my head and they let me in, just like that. They didn't even ask me for the name of the person living there," Rosalie suddenly chimed in walking into the room like she owned it.

"Hmm…I was wondering how you got in that day…" Alice looked thoughtful.

"Where have you been, Rosalie?" Em's voice sounded ominous.

"What's it to you?" Rosalie glared back at Em.

"As your supervisor I should know," Emmett said in a much sterner voice.

"Since when did you become my supervisor?" Rosalie asked disdainfully.

"Since I recruited you—you do remember that I asked you to work with Emmett don't you? Bella is your supervisor when it comes to office work. But for security related matters you have to defer to Emmett." Carlisle sounded too civil. I know that tone of voice. He was not happy with the situation at all.

"Fine. I just took a long lunch break. I am entitled to at least that after working during the weekend." Rosalie sauntered over to my sofa and sat down. All of us were standing around. She really knew how to annoy people.

"We have nothing against you taking a long lunch break but you should have informed us," Em said, with his hands on his waist. I have never seen Em look so angry before. He is usually a very easy going guy who loved to joke around.

"I told Paul," Rosalie looked adamant.

"Paul is not your supervisor, and you simply cannot change shifts and work schedules without informing the rest of the team. I want to have a word with you after this meeting." Em had lost his cool and he sounded really angry now.

"I'm not interested in dating you Emmett and that's final. If you don't stop bugging me I am going to file a sexual harassment case against you." Rosalie huffed, and Carlisle stared at her as if he's never seen her before along with the rest of us. _Who was this woman?_

"This has nothing to do with my earlier conversation with you. I promise you I have no interest in ever renewing my offer to take you out. I only want to inform you of what your duties are because of the new developments." Emmett's voice was firm and full of authority. I was proud of him. He must have suffered a big blow to his ego earlier, and things were made worse with Rosalie's attitude towards him now.

"What developments?"

It was Carlisle who informed her of what had happened. "So I think Bella should not live alone in her apartment," Carlisle finished his conversation with a flourish.

"I agree with you on that, that's why she's moving in with me," Alice chimed in.

"I don't think it's a good idea for Bella to move in with you. As I explained earlier the security at your condo is too lax," Rosalie said. I could tell she had an ulterior motive behind that. _Did Rosalie hope to have Bella move in with her? Was she really interested in Bella?_ I still couldn't bring myself to believe that.

"I have suggested she moved in with me." Carlisle explained giving the pixie a pointed look.

"That's not a good option since both you and Bella seem to be targets." Rosalie didn't hesitate to point this out.

"See that's what I told him." The pixie grinned.

"I think…" Rosalie started to say something and I had a good idea that she was going to suggest a safe house or at least her house. I had just opened my mouth to suggest they move in with me when Jazz beat me to it.

"I think Alice and Bella should move in with Edward. He's got a good security system installed already, and we can add additional guards if needed." Jazz had a huge grin on his face. I knew he was thinking about how ideal this situation was for me and Bella. God! I could have hugged him. _Shit! Did I just think that?_

"I would be more than happy to accommodate you. I have plenty of space," I quickly said before anyone else had time to add their two cents.

"That's a good idea, Edward." Carlisle actually looked pleased with this turn of events. I really loved my father. I could hug him too. I was truly pussy whipped. It looked like I would do anything just to have Bella move in with me.

"And Jazz, I think you should also move in so that we have additional protection." I couldn't help adding when I saw Jazz looking longingly at Alice. He had been willing to sacrifice his time with Alice so that I could keep them safe.

"Er…okay." Carlisle was now frowning. Was my father trying to break off the supposed relationship between Jazz and me? I guess he was not that happy to have a gay son after all. I barely managed to supress a grin.

"I think from a security point of view that's an excellent idea. With both Jazz and Edward there we will have additional protection. But it's going to look a bit odd when all of you suddenly move in with Edward," Em suddenly said out of the blue. I wanted to kick his butt. I glared at him. But he just shook his head.

"I'm also worried about adding additional guards. If whoever is after Bella suspects we know something, it is going to be difficult to keep track of them." Em added daring me to protest. I understood his point of view. He was just playing the devil's advocate pointing out the flows in our plan.

"Ally and I could pretend to do some interior decorating projects at Edward's house. Edward was kind enough to show us his house when we arrived in Seattle last night. And he did ask us to help him to decorate the place. We could have some security staff in pretending to be interior decorators. We might even get some work done if they at least know how to cut a piece of wood," Bella said smiling at me. My sweet girl! I couldn't help giving her a huge smile.

"That's a good idea. I've been asking him to do something about that place for years now." Carlisle looked at me with disapproval.

"Thank you, Bella and Ally. Yes. I would love to have some decorating done." I grinned and I knew I had the cat that swallowed the cream look on my face. Jazz winked at me.

"You know this hair-brained idea could actually work." Em looked at Bella as if seeing her for the first time. "We should make sure no one knows that all of you actually moved in with Edward. We'll just pretend that you are busy with the decorating and staying over there from time to time. I think that's a better idea than having everyone move in officially," Em suggested.

"I agree." I turned to Bella. "Let's keep your place as it is, and move some of your essentials to my place."

Bella frowned at this.

"I was actually going to sell the apartment off end of this month. I've already put it up for sale. I was planning to move in with Esme." I was surprised to hear of this.

"Well, Esme would understand the need for protection and we could easily hire someone to help her take care of Colin."

Bella didn't look that happy with this turn of events at all. I wondered why.

"Still… we should just sell off my apartment. We don't really need it now." Bella looked pleadingly at me.

"Bella, I think you should pretend to live there. It would be the best way to confuse whoever is after you," Emmett explained. Bella's face fell but she nodded in agreement.

"So now that's settled, do you think we can go through the security footage?" Carlisle asked impatiently.

"Actually, I haven't had the time to go through it all. I had been planning to have Paul go through some of it while I do the rest during lunch, but…" he glared at Rosalie and she had the decency to cringe. "I think it's best if we go through it tomorrow. I'll edit it so that we only have the footage of people visiting the office."

Carlisle sighed. He was impatient at always.

"Okay, so first thing tomorrow morning we can meet at my office and go through everything. I can arrange it as a management meeting or something and get Tanya to send out invitations to all of you so that she doesn't suspect anything." Carlisle ran an agitated hand through his hair.

Everyone finally dispersed. I kissed Bella one more time and let her go. I got back to actual office work and didn't even feel the time passing until I heard a knock on my door. Bella entered with a huge smile on her face.

"So Mrs. Cullen, you are finally going to move in with me, aren't you?" I stood up and extended my arm pulling her into a hug.

"Sure looks that way, Mr. Cullen. And don't forget my father-in-law wants me to decorate your house." I laughed at this.

"He sure does." I placed a kiss on Bella's lips and for a short while we forgot where we were.

"So what are your plans for the evening Mrs. Cullen?" I hadn't really thought much about how we were going to organise things. I will have to get some extra beds if Alice and Jazz were going to move in—and what about the extra guards? I sighed.

"I was thinking of stopping by my place and getting some of my stuff. Not the big stuff just some clothes and things I would need for this week."

"That's a good idea. Will Alice be coming?" I grinned when I remembered the happy smile on her face when I asked Jazz to stay with us as well.

"No, she went home to pack their things. She'll be over later tonight and we are planning to pretend that we are having dinner at your place."

"Okay. We can order something. Shall I come with you to get your things? I know Rosalie will be following you, but I would feel much better if I go with you." I knew I was being over protective. But I just couldn't bear to let Bella out of my sight.

"Umm," Bella didn't look that keen on the idea.

"Bella, love, someone out there is stalking you. I know Rosalie will be there but, I would feel much happier if I'm there with you. We'll have no way of knowing if they are hiding out at the apartment." I wanted her safe. Bella looked a bit thoughtful and finally she sighed.

"Let me get my things and get out of here."

I followed Bella home in my car. I was shocked when we arrived at a small shabby apartment complex. It was barely respectable. I had been here once before but it had been when I had thought Bella had broken off with me. I had been too upset to notice anything other than the apartment number. Was Bella having financial trouble? But she had said she had some savings when she offered to pay for Colin's operation. It was not a huge amount but it was something. And I knew she earned a decent salary. _So what was she doing living in this shabby apartment and driving that old truck?_

I parked and followed Bella into her apartment. It didn't look any better inside either. It was sparsely furnished with furniture that had seen better days. I knew she owned the apartment since she said she wanted to sell it, but even that didn't explain why she would live in a place like this. However, it did feel very homely. Beautiful paintings of breath-taking sceneries adorned her walls. There were flowers everywhere. Little knick-knacks and family photos took up much of the remaining space. I could tell Bella had really made the apartment her home away from home and lovingly decorated the place. To my surprise her apartment reminded me of the little house we used to live in before mom died. The same welcoming homely feel was there. The numerous apartments Carlisle and I moved into after she was gone had never felt like home. Even though I had taken some of the old furniture and things out of storage and put it in my new house it never felt like home. I guess the saying that "home is where the heart is" is true.

Bella hadn't spoken to me since we entered. She disappeared through the only door I could see. The kitchen and the living room were in one room. I decided to follow Bella into her room. The small closet in the wall was open and Bella was folding clothes. There were only a very few things in it. I looked around but could not see any other place she could have stored anything else. There was another small door leading to a bathroom. Other than that the room only held a single bed and a night stand. There were over twenty bright scarves hanging in the closet. They looked like Jacob's creations. The rest of the clothing all looked mostly like office wear in very plan colours without any prints on them.

I tried to remember what Bella wore to work. She always looked good. But I realised that her clothes were non-descript and one could not remember whether she wore the same thing twice. But she always had a bright scarf on her neck that distracted anyone from actually noticing her outfit. For the first time I realised Bella must have been wearing the same things over and over again without me or anyone else figuring it out. Shit! It really looked like Bella had some financial difficulties, or she was saving every last penny she earned for her treatment. For the first time I began to understand how desperate she really must have been to have agreed to marry Jacob. I decided to play it cool and cheer Bella up a bit.

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Cullen?"

Bella smiled back at me. "Mmm…Mr. Cullen, I think you should get naked."

I stood there like an idiot, dumbstruck by what she had just said, when she turned back to me.

"Oh, and leave the tie on." _What?_

I was just reaching for my shirt when my phone began to ring.

"Ed, we found out who was following Bella and Alice today."

"Oh, who was it?"

"Dimitri. Our agents found the rental place from where he rented the car."

**A/N: What's Dimitri doing following Bella? What about the hare-brained decorating plan? **

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews I got for the last chapter. I really loved hearing from you. Sorry for the late review replies. This chapter is also not beta'd and yep, I got late again. Paid a visit to doc again, because I got a horrible migraine which lasted two days. But now I'm almost back to normal:). Do you know of good migraine cures? My doc prescribed some pills but I hate taking pills:(. **


	37. Chapter 37 The Dinner

**Chapter 37**

**Edward's POV**

**The Dinner **

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Cullen?"

Bella smiled back at me. "Mmm…Mr. Cullen, I think you should get naked."

I stood there like an idiot, dumbstruck by what she had just said, when she turned back to me.

"Oh, and leave the tie on." _What?_

I stood there, not moving, wide-eyed watching my wife saunter over to me. She grabbed my tie pulling me down to her face where she planted a searing kiss on my lips which brought me out of my haze. I fiercely kissed her back wrapping my arms around her.

When she had to breathe, I pulled back resting my forehead against hers as we caught our breath.

"So Mr. Cullen, what about my request?"

"Anything you want my lovely wife. If you want naked, I think I can manage that quite easily." Heck, I would walk around naked all the time for her if she wanted. Although, that might be a little embarrassing with our new houseguests. Yes, they definitely were going to put a crimp in our activities outside the bedroom, but then again I was counting myself lucky that I was going to have Bella in our home where she belongs.

"Right now, you, me and naked is all I want and all I will ever want." She winked at me, and then blushed a very deep shade of red. Oh, my Bella! Only she could say such wicked things to me, yet blush so innocently. My very own temptress!

Moving my lips back to hers, I kissed her as I dropped my suit jacket to the floor and started to pull my shirt out. Bella had two of my buttons undone and was loosening my belt when my phone rang.

We both groaned at the interruption. However, we knew with everything going on, I just couldn't let it go to voicemail. I moved back from my angel grabbing my jacket and pulling the phone out, but not before telling her, "you know one day when this is over, we are going to a private island in the middle of nowhere with no phones and not letting a soul know we are there."

"I agree." She smiled at me.

"Hi, Em. What's going on?"

"Ed, we found out who was following Bella and Alice today." I was so excited. Finally a breakthrough!

"Oh, who was it?" When I saw Bella's panicked look, I quickly put the phone on speaker, so that she could listen in.

"Dimitri. Our agents found the rental place from where he rented the car." Bella grabbed hold of my hand, and I pulled her onto the bed with me. I put a hand around her, trying to comfort her. She leaned on my shoulder and sighed.

"Was it the same car that followed Carlisle?"

"As you know, the license plates don't match. The rental company records state that the car was in their parking lot and was not rented out that day. Dimitri had actually only arrived in the country yesterday morning."

"Why was he following Bella?"

"No idea. We can't exactly ask him. He might have just wanted to talk to Bella or something." Bella looked at me again. I could see the horrified look on her face. I held her tighter to me.

"Then he should have come to office."

"He called Carlisle."

"What? When?"

"Around five, right after you guys left."

"What did he say?"

"Dimitri asked him to come to dinner with him. Carlisle agreed."

"Did Carlisle tell you that Dimitri called?"

"Actually…he didn't."

"So, he's hiding something." I hated the fact that my father was keeping more secrets from us. I really thought we were moving forward and he was going to stop it.

"We can't say that either, Edward. The shipments had nothing to do with Dimitri's company." I sighed. Em was right.

"But Carlisle does know that Dimitri is supposed to marry Bella, right?"

"Yeah."

"So why didn't he tell us?"

"I'm just waiting for him to call and tell us. Let's wait and see. He's still in his office actually."

"What's he doing?"

"Looks like he's going through all the shipping documents." _Wonder what he is looking for?_

"Where is Tanya?"

"She left even before you left."

"Where is she now?"

"She went to the supermarket. And Dimitri is back at his hotel. We are keeping an eye on both of them. We've tapped Tanya's mobile so if she contacts Dimitri, we'd hopefully know."

"You mean, if she uses her mobile to contact him." I heard Em sigh from the other end.

"She doesn't have a land line, Edward."

"Okay, then let's wait and see."

"Hey, there's an incoming call. Can you hold on? It's not a number on my phone." I quickly took the call.

"Hello"

"Hello, this is Dimitri Volturi. Am I speaking with Edward Cullen?" Bella gasped when she heard who was on the line.

"Yes. How are you, Dimitri?"

"I'm doing great. I just got to the States."

"I didn't know you were coming."

"Well, it's sort of a surprise visit. I wanted to be here to surprise Isabella for her birthday." _Holy f*cking shit!_ Bella's eyes grew huge, and I could see the wheels turning in her head.

"Oh, okay. That's good." That's good? It was horrible. From the way Bella's hold on me tightened, I knew she agreed.

"I'm hoping you'd be free to meet me for dinner today. Carlisle is joining me."

"Sure." He seemed like he didn't have any ulterior motives. _Other than to marry your wife, Cullen! _I couldn't help the smirk on my face at this thought. He was too late. She was already mine.

He gave me the name of the hotel he was staying at and asked me to meet him there. I had barely ended that call when my phone rang again.

"Edward, Dimitri is here in the States. He just invited me to dinner. I suggested that he invite you too since you are the one who will be handling their account from now on." I was so relieved to hear my father's voice. So he was not trying to hide Dimitri's visit from us after all.

"He just called me."

"Do you think his sudden visit is somehow linked to what has been going on?"

"Emmett is on the other line with me—let me connect him. I've put you on speaker phone. Bella is with me." I didn't care what Carlisle thought about Bella being with me since she was supposed to be moving in with me today.

"Em, Carlisle's on the phone. He just told me Dimitri invited him for dinner. I'm also going. The call I just received was from Dimitri inviting me along."

"Okay."

"Can you update us on what exactly you found out?" Em explained what he had already told me to Carlisle.

"So it was a totally different vehicle following me, although it was the same make?"

"Yes. The number plates on the car that followed you could not be traced, Carlisle. They were fake."

"So that means Bella's life is not in danger." I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"No, but he was stalking Bella."

"Yeah, you are right, so I think we should just go ahead with our plan to have her move in with you," Em said.

"Yes. That's true. I doubt if Dimitri will notice if Bella stays at your place. We can follow him and see where he is at all times. I don't think he brought accomplices to follow us around, but you can never be too careful."

"No, I don't think so either." I agreed.

"So is there anything else?" Carlisle asked.

"No, nothing."

"Well then…we'll update you tomorrow about what happens with Dimitri."

Once I hung up the phone, Bella and I sat silently lost in our thoughts for a little while, cuddled together.

"So, he wants to meet me. And on my birthday! I'm so glad we went ahead with the wedding. There is nothing he can do now, unless my grandfather changes his will." Bella sighed.

"No, there's nothing Dimitri can do. Bella, love, like I told you before, you are my wife now. Let's start on the treatments immediately. We have the money, so we shouldn't delay them." Bella looked at me and nodded her head in agreement.

"I have a list of the clinics offering the treatments. Do you want to have a look?"

"No, Bella. You know what's best. Go ahead and make an appointment."

"I already did make a tentative one." Bella looked hesitant, biting her lip. I could tell that she was worried about how I would take the news.

"That's great!"

"Oh God! I promised to call back to confirm it! Hope they still have the slot."

"When is it?"

"It's tomorrow morning at ten. I forgot all about it because of all that happened today. There was a cancellation, and they were able to fit us in. Will you be able to make it, if they still have the slot?" Bella asked.

"Sure. This is more important than everything else, Bella." _You will not be going alone this time, your husband will be at your side,_ I silently added.

"Oh! Carlisle's meeting."

"Let's ask Em to tell him to move it to the afternoon."

"Carlisle won't be happy."

"Let him wait. It's his grandchild too." Bella looked at me in wonder. I guess she just realised what all of this meant for Carlisle, even though he had no clue what was truly going on.

"Should we tell him?"

"No, Bella. Not yet. Something in my gut is telling me to wait."

"All right." I leaned down and pressed a small kiss on her sweet lips. And Bella smiled.

"Edward, I have been saving every penny I earned so that I could start the treatments. It's not much, but I would like to contribute too." Oh! This was where her salary went. She must have been working towards this for a long time.

"Bella, love, we've got plenty of funds. So just keep that aside for an emergency."

"It's not right, Edward. You shouldn't have to spend for the treatment. It's my fault that I can't get pregnant."

"Love, it's not your fault. This could have happened to anyone. Hell! Even I might not be able to father a child. You never know."

"But you are now in this situation because you married me." I could see the tears in her eyes and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Bella, I love you. I have never been in love before. I can't help who I fall in love with, just like you can't help not being able to have kids without treatment." I wanted to be subtle but yet emphasise that she could have kids with treatment.

"I guess so." Bella took a deep breath. A lone tear made a path down her cheek. I kissed it away. I could see her lips trembling.

"Love, it's my child too, you know. I want this as much as you do." She had a thoughtful look on her face. She was worrying her bottom lip again. I pulled it out and planted a kiss on her pouty lips.

Finally, I saw a faint smile on her face.

"We are going to have a baby! We really are! And we have enough money for it!" I was not prepared for Bella's sudden enthusiasm, and when she sprung on me in her excitement, we both fell back on the bed, laughing.

"Yes, we are, love. We are going to be parents_." Oh my God! I was going to try to be a father._ Shit! I had never even thought about it. I had always thought of it as something that would happen in the far distant future. But with Bella's condition, I was not going to postpone anything.

"I've also decided what you can spend your money on." I tapped her on her delectable little nose.

"What's that?" I loved the cheesy grin that graced her face.

"All those maternity clothes you're going to need for the next ten years."

"Ten years?" Bella raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yep. I figure I'll work on having my own baseball team." She gasped and then kissed my lips. I smiled.

She slowly pulled back a little and gave me an earnest look. "So are you going to get naked now?"

I burst into laughter at Bella's sudden change of topics.

"Bella, you have a one track mind." I planted a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. I had to get ready for dinner. I only had two hours to get to the hotel. It was already past six, and Dimitri wanted us to meet at eight.

"Even if we can't make a baby the traditional way, there is no harm in practising, right?" Bella had a triumphant smile on her face. My little minx! She had come up with a very good excuse. Who was I to deny her?

"No, of course, not."

"Then, let's get to work, Mr. Cullen. Off with the rest of your clothes. And leave the tie on." _What's with the tie?_

I stood up and started removing my shirt.

**Bella's POV**

_Edward Cullen was in my room! He was just getting naked in my room again! Oh my God! And he was going to leave his tie on just like my fantasy!_

I had dreamed of him like this, doing exactly this so many times after the first time we made love. I watched as my favourite crooked smile spread across his lips as he slowly slipped the buttons through the holes, one by one. His hips seemed to sway from side to side.

_Holy shit! He was doing a strip tease! _

I could tell my jaw was hanging open from surprise, and he laughed outright when he realised I knew what he was up to. I really didn't care. This gorgeous man was mine, and he was here doing most probably the cheesiest strip tease in history, but it was all for me.

With his shirt hanging open, he slipped the belt off. He didn't toss it, but instead held it up with one hand and started spinning it over his head, cowboy style. He put his other hand against his cock, while he gyrated back and forth in a pumping motion. _Oh my God! Please give me the strength I need to stop myself from jumping him. Please…please…please…_ I really did want to see this strip tease to its eventual completion.

Finally, after what seemed like an ages, he tossed the belt aside and started sliding his shirt down his arms. He spun it in the air before it joined the pile on the floor. When he reached the button of his jeans, he turned around and rocked his butt. This time, I just couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Are you laughing at me, Isabella Cullen?" _Isabella Cullen…mmm…I loved that name. _

"Er…no, Sir. Just…enjoying the view." I saw Edward gasp when I called him Sir, and his eyes got noticeably darker_. Hmm…someone likes to be called Sir, I filed it away for future reference. _

He finally dropped his trousers and then sort of shimmied out of his boxers. I watched hungrily as his muscles moved and his perfect bare butt came into view.

"Nice piece of ass you've got there, Mr. Cullen." I couldn't help teasing him.

"You think so? Is that all that's nice?" He had a knowing smirk on his face as he threw away his trousers with a flourish.

"Yep. Just waiting to be spanked." I quickly rose and gave one of his butt cheeks a nice hard pat. The look on Edward's face was priceless. I could tell he was not expecting that from me. And frankly, I was not expecting it from me either!

"Isabella…" he growled as he suddenly sprang on me, cornering me with hands on both sides of my head on the wall.

"I…I…" I didn't know what to say. I mean, I forgot the witty comeback I had for him at the sight of his nakedness. He looked so sexy dressed only in his red striped tie. I didn't know what it was about the tie that turned me on so much. _Was it the notion of being dressed, even if only in a tie, when in reality he was naked?_

_Holy shit!_ The bottom of the tie just flicked on his erection. I watched mesmerised as it happened a second time and he twitched. I felt more than saw Edward follow my eyes to what held my attention. He drew in a shaky breath. The next thing I knew he was kissing me very passionately. My eyes closed, and I was lost in his kiss. So much so that it was only when he roughly put his hand inside my panties that I discovered I was half naked. My blouse was open and the skirt was missing. My man was talented. Not only could he strip himself like the famed Chippendales, but he had also divested me of my clothing without me even knowing it was happening. Edward flicked my bundle of nerves, and I cried out in surprise.

"Bella…oh God, I want you so much." His voice was deep and husky.

I pulled him by the tie roughly, as I brought us both down onto the bed. Edward kept kissing me and finally I felt his tip touch me there. I moaned out loud.

"Edward…please…" I barely got the words out before he was inside me. He didn't even bother to remove my panties; they were just pushed aside to grant him access. He was fast and aggressive. I could tell I would have some marks on me tomorrow, but I couldn't seem to care. He was sucking and biting me wherever he could reach. I loved every bit of it.

I knew I was getting close, and from Edward's panting, I could tell he was too. He suddenly pulled down my bra cups and bit down on my nipple while squeezing the other. That was it—I fell over the edge and I heard him join me. I loved married life.

**Edward's POV**

I was ten minutes late when I got to the table. I am never late, but Bella…shit, I should stop thinking about her or I will be sporting a hard on all through dinner. I had finally got her settled in at my place. Alice had also arrived by the time I left. She and Bella were going to set up a fake room for the two of them. Jazz and Ally would be occupying that room while Bella slept in mine. I had an air-mattress that she had blown up. This was going to be their bed till we could go shopping for furniture.

Dimitri didn't look so happy at my tardiness, but Carlisle had a huge smile of relief on his face when he greeted me.

"There are so many things to discuss before I leave. I have been explaining everything in detail to Carlisle." The look on Carlisle's face told me he didn't like what he had been told.

"I've also brought the latest contract with me, Edward. Maybe we could get it signed while I'm here."

I was more than happy to discuss work with him. "That's a good idea."

"I wanted to meet you at a restaurant since I didn't want Isabella to know I'm here. You see, I'm planning on surprising her like I said, on her birthday. It's just a few days away. So I didn't want to show up at the office."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"She really is gorgeous. I'm a very lucky guy." _Smug bastard. Wait till he learns Bella is no longer his and I'm the lucky guy who has her. We'll see who is smug then._

"Yeah, you are lucky Marcus set you up with her." I couldn't help smiling at his expense. Carlisle grinned at me sharing my joke.

"Yeah, and I'm going to be the owner of Volturi Enterprises when I marry her."

"Isn't she supposed to be the owner?" Carlisle asked with a frown on his face.

"It's the same as me owning it. Grandpa has already told me that I would be taking over. What do women know about running businesses, eh?" I really wanted to punch the guy on his face.

"She is really good in her work." I couldn't help disagreeing.

"I'm sorry you'd be losing an employee. But Isabella is going to be my wife soon, so you should look for someone to replace her when she goes to Italy with me." I was about to correct him when Carlisle kicked me under the table and gave me a warning look. Oh shit! I really couldn't blurt out I was Bella's husband. And I knew I couldn't tell him of Bella's fake marriage to Alice either. Bella will have to do it. I also knew Carlisle was concerned about maintaining a good business relationship with them. Guess he didn't want our involvement known.

"Isn't that a bit presumptuous? I mean, are you sure she'd want to go to Italy?" Carlisle asked. I decided to let Carlisle do the talking since I was just too angry to make polite conversation without wiping that smug grin off his face.

"Oh, she'll marry me and go to Italy with me. Who wouldn't? From what I know, Isabella grew up in some small town. She most probably has never even been out of the state, let alone the country. And the money! Who wouldn't want that?"

I wondered whether Marcus was blind to set this fellow up with Bella. Dimitri was purely marrying her for her inheritance and he was not even trying to hide the fact. I shuddered at the thought of the life Bella would have had to live if she was at his mercy.

"I don't know about that. But she is a very intelligent girl." Clearly my father was a big fan of Bella's. And I really appreciated the fact that he was trying hard to get this stupid idiot to stop his word vomit and think clearly.

"Well, that may be, but she wouldn't know much about running Volturi Enterprises. Besides, I'm hoping to be a father soon, so Isabella wouldn't be able to work much longer anyway. I don't want to put things off like my father Caius did. Look what happened to him." Either this guy was insane, or he was very shrewd and wanted us to think that he was harmless. I mean, in what world did you make assumptions about a girl you have never even met? Let alone share all these details with your business partners? And to top it all she was our employee.

"Er…" Even Carlisle was speechless.

"Yeah, everybody knows I'm adopted. I don't want to make the same mistakes my father did with Mom."

Carlisle and I just nodded. We really didn't want to know what mistakes his father made with his mother. It was none of our business.

"Uncle Aro is not going to be happy when he learns that I'm going to be inheriting Volturi Enterprises." There was an unholy gleam in Dimitri's eyes at the thought of outsmarting Aro. "Grandpa said his dream was to merge my father's company with his and put an end to the rivalry."

We knew that Marcus and Caius were not in good terms and something happened to make him leave Volturi Enterprises and start a rival firm. But we had no idea what. Caius and Aro were Marcus's sister's children. Bella's mother Renee was Marcus's only child.

"Does Caius know about your grandfather's plan?" Carlisle asked.

"No, of course not. I promised grandpa I wouldn't tell him. But I'm sure he's going to be proud of me when he realises I get grandpa's empire. Oh, and I trust you to keep this a secret." He winked at us and smiled his smug smile. _Pompous ass! _How I wished I could put him in his place right now. The thought of Bella and what it could mean for her inheritance was the only thing keeping me from opening my mouth. We had to keep our marriage a secret till her birthday. By then it will be too late. That is if Marcus doesn't change his will. I sighed. 

Dimitri continued to talk about his father and how he was planning to surprise him. This man was disclosing intimate details of his family without a thought. I wondered why he was being so forthcoming. _Was he trying to lure us into some sort of false sense of security?_ I knew he was ostentatious with his tastes. I cringed when I remembered his office. _But, seriously, was he for real? Or was it all an act? _

**A/N: So what do you think of Dimitri? What do you think his game is? Or is he really insane? Mmm…and what about Edward's strip tease? Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I got. And thank you for all the migraine remedies you recommended. They are working like a charm. I'm eating loads of chocolate and drinking coffee…mmm…heaven! And I only got one headache this week! **

**A very big thank you to Twimarti and Dazzleglo for beta'ing this chapter. It's good to have you back after your holidays Dazzleglo. We've all missed your dazzling humour that always spice up the chapters! **


	38. Chapter 38 The Trouble with Tea

**Chapter 38**

**The Trouble with Tea**

**Edward's POV**

Bella couldn't get the original time slot in the morning for the doctor's appointment, so it got scheduled for the afternoon. We were gathered in Carlisle's office to go through the tapes which were projected onto a large screen. Bella had told Ally about the treatments, and I had told Jazz and Em. We didn't have anything to hide from them, and thankfully no one asked for any details. Not even the pixie. But then again, she must have got all the information she wanted from Bella. We had been watching the tapes for some time, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Tanya went about her business as usual.

"Could it have been carried in a briefcase?" Carlisle asked.

"I thought so too at first, but the dimensions are all wrong." Em stopped the tape and showed us using some software to scan the size of the briefcase and the door.

I sighed. Tanya's handbag and other office files had also been too small. Many people visited Carlisle and some sat in the small waiting area in front of Tanya's desk. We didn't see anyone enter the tearoom. They had no reason to. And no one carried a door, or anything large enough to fit one in.

"Oh! I love that tea set, Bella! It looks so grand, doesn't it? I can't help admiring it when they bring tea over to the executive floor during meetings. Look at that gorgeous teapot! It's bone china, so very delicate. You have to handle it very carefully."

Ally was being Ally! I couldn't help smiling at Carlisle's raised eyebrows at Ally's non-stop chattering. I nodded my head and smiled, indicating that she was always like this. Carlisle just smiled. I was so glad he likes my friends. Who wouldn't love the little lovable pixie? This was the fourth time we had to listen to her talk about the tea-set. We had already been through over a week and a half worth of footage. Luckily for us, the larger tray was only brought in when Carlisle had visitors. That had only been for a total of four for the past week and a half.

"Hey, something's wrong with the teapot," Alice suddenly exclaimed.

"What do you mean, Ally?" I heard Jazz ask patiently. We all knew it could be something from the angle of the handle to the design or colour for that matter. You never knew with Ally.

"It's too tall! I mean it's too tall in the tray. It should be lower. You know, like deeper in the tray." What the hell was she talking about?

"Alice, by how much? I can also see something is wrong too." Bella suddenly pointed to the teapot as well.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Look closely. Can you see it? Alice meant that the teapot is too elevated. The tray is deeper than that—it shouldn't have made the teapot stand out so much. We can even see the mat on the tray."

"I think it's the door on the tea tray. It's big enough, isn't it, Jazz?" Ally turned wide eyes at Jazz.

"Dear God! Yes! You solved the puzzle, Ally! My cleaver girl" When the exuberant pixie flung herself at Jazz in her excitement, he hugged her tightly. I saw Carlisle's eyebrows rise to his hairline in surprise. Well, guess it's my turn to show some enthusiasm. As soon as Jazz put the pixie down, I picked her up and started twirling her around. Alice's eyes grew huge in surprise, but I quickly whispered, "Carlisle," in her ear, and she understood. Bella was simply laughing at our antics. When I put Alice down, I saw Carlisle frowning as if he couldn't figure something out. I hoped he didn't think much about Jazz calling Ally his clever girl.

"Love you, Ally, you are the best." Bella joined in and hugged the pixie, even planting a kiss on her lips as an afterthought. Em just ruffled her hair. She didn't even seem to mind in her excitement.

"Well, young lady, I must say, I'm impressed." Carlisle smiled at Ally. Rosalie simply huffed.

"Shall I call for some tea? We can check out the actual tray," I asked.

"Yes, I could do with some tea right now. Oh, and could you ask them for some of those chocolate cookies from the cafeteria? I always think better when I have had a few," the pixie blurted out. Carlisle simply nodded. I could tell he didn't know what to make of her at all. I, for a fact, knew that the pixie really did think better when she had had a few cookies. Anything with chocolate makes her hyper.

"She's telling you the truth." I smiled at Carlisle whose eyebrows once again went up. Bella laughed at his expression. I could tell that the planned visit to the doctor's had really put my girl in a good mood.

"Let's play back the video. I want to take a good look at the teaboy," Jazz said.

We watched as the tea tray was brought in.

"Let me check the teaboy's background." Em scanned his picture and compared it with our employee database. He was one of the teaboys serving the executive floors. We all recognised him.

"I'll get the secret service to do a background check on him." Rosalie took some printouts.

"Run the shots of him taking the tea tray back."

Em played it for us, and sure enough, it was elevated as well. We compared it with the week before, and this was the only time the tray was elevated.

"So this confirms it. The teaboy helped Tanya transport the door."

"I'll have to check the footage from the lift and your hallway, Edward. Then we'd know for sure that's where the door went. I guess it's really a foregone conclusion now anyway," Em said.

Carlisle's intercom buzzed. "Shall I bring the tea in?" Tanya's voice came over loud and clear.

"Sure." Em scrambled to put the video off an uploaded an official looking chart.

Tanya came in with the tray and placed it on Carlisle's coffee table and left. We closely examined the tray. The door could have easily been kept on the tray like Alice suggested. The measurements were right.

"So it was Tanya. She and the teaboy went into the tearoom as well, so they could have easily changed the doors."

"This happened on Friday! Jazz, you weren't in office. That means there was no one to notice the cupboard door was missing for some time from our filing cupboard." I suddenly remembered.

"But how would she know to do it on that day? I mean, it's not like you planned it right?" Bella exclaimed.

"I actually informed everyone that I will be working from home in advance, so that I can attend the wedding. It was no secret, really. Everyone who was dealing with me was informed," Jazz said looking at Carlisle.

"Yes, Tanya is the one who informed me that you will not be in office. She's also the one who schedules my appointments," Carlisle said.

"So then there's no mystery about how she did it. She simply had guests for tea so that the teaboy had to bring the larger tea tray. But do we have any more information about who her contact is?"

"She was in touch with that woman from France again."

"Any other calls?"

"Nothing. We don't have access to her personal e-mail accounts, so if she has them or even Skype, she could easily be connecting with people from abroad."

"We've got to find out if she's linked in some way with Volturi Enterprises."

"Hey, remember my mother told you she looked familiar? Should we show her some photos of the Volturi again and see whether she could come up with something?" Bella asked. We should have followed this lead at once when Renee first mentioned it. With the wedding planning, we had completely forgotten about it.

"That's a good idea, Bella. I'll get an e-mail ready with pictures of everyone I could think of. She can then go through them. It might jog her memory. Their website also has some news items. Can you ask her to look through the pictures in the archives there as well?" Em suggested.

"That's a good idea. She did run the company with her father till she eloped, am I right?" Carlisle looked at Bella.

"Yes. She might remember something or someone." Bella had a hopeful expression on her face.

"We will also need someone to keep an eye on Tanya. I don't want her alone in my office anymore." Carlisle sighed.

"Yes, even with the cameras monitoring her every move, she managed to do the changes to the doors and even go through all the shipping documents."

"Shall I call someone in from the secret service?" Em asked.

"No, I don't want any more agents in this office." Carlisle gave Rosalie a pointed look, and she just rolled her eyes.

"Then what do you suggest? I mean, we need someone we can trust, who can keep a subtle eye on things." I really didn't like the idea of my father alone in this office with Tanya either.

"What about Jacob?" Em suggested, and Carlisle nearly fell out of his chair.

"You mean…the scarf guy?" He looked guiltily at Bella.

"That's the one. I think he'll be ideal for the job. No one's going to suspect him. Not even Tanya." Emmett seemed to be very into the idea now.

"You know, that's a great idea. I'm sure Jake will like it. His scarf business practically runs itself with everyone in the reservation doing part of the work. He was actually looking for a steady job. Last time he visited Seattle in his Rabbit, he came for a job interview." Bella winked at me. That blasted Rabbit! To my horror, I blushed, and everyone looked at me in surprise, and then started laughing. It was no secret that Jacob had a crush on me, and they thought I blushed for that reason. Thank God they didn't know about the Rabbit talk! That was so embarrassing. I knew Bella remembered it very well because she blushed when she met my eye. I should ask to see her rabbit. Mmm…we could maybe play with it.

"Well…yeah, I think he'd like the job opportunity," I managed to stammer out while rubbing the back of my neck.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. If we get another woman in here, Tanya might suspect her job is in jeopardy. But with Jacob…" Carlisle suddenly grinned. He even winked at me. My father! He's supposed to protect me. I guess he liked Jacob more than Jazz.

"You could hire him to do your filing system. He's pretty good with numbers. And he can organise," Bella chimed in.

"Boy, he really could organise. That man knows how to get things done." Em laughed. When did Em get so chummy with Jacob?

"Okay, it's settled then. Bella, could you ask him whether he'd like to join Cullen Enterprises?" Carlisle smiled.

"Will do."

"I'll take care of the paperwork. What will be his designation?" Ally asked.

"Let's see—what if we take him as an outside consultant, something like an 'Office Organising Consultant'?" Jazz asked.

"That's good. Then HR wouldn't ask for too many details," Ally chimed in.

"Oh, by the way, Edward, I forgot to tell you. While we were waiting for you that day, Dimitri was talking about his mother and her indiscretions. He mentioned something about her having an affair with Aro!" Carlisle's revelation left all of us dumbstruck. Aro and Caius's wife?

"Aro? Are you sure?" I had to ask.

"Yes, it was a long time ago. But considering what's going on right now, I thought it might be relevant. Especially since Dimitri seemed to dislike his mother a lot. I thought it bordered on hatred. But it could all be an act. I wonder whether he is actually working with her." Not much gets passed Carlisle.

"So that must be the reason why Dimitri is so willing to do what Marcus wants by marrying Bella."

"Yes, I think he wants to get back what's rightfully his, as he put it. Apparently, Aro and Caius fought over Aro's affair with Caius's wife, and that's why Caius had to leave the company."

"Tell me how Dimitri is related to Marcus again?" Jazz asked.

"Aro and Caius are brothers. Their mother was Marcus's sister. She and her husband along with Marcus's wife all got killed in a plane crash. Marcus bought them up like his own children. He never remarried. Renee was his only child. Dimitri is Caius's adopted son. He doesn't have any other children. Dimitri calls Marcus grandpa since he's the only grandfather like figure he has ever known in his life," Carlisle explained.

"Aha. I was a bit confused there. So Marcus took Aro's side in the matter?" Jazz asked.

"I don't know. Looks like it."

"Wow, that's something."

"What happened to Caius's wife after the dispute?"

"They got a divorce. She left the country."

"Where is she now?"

"Dimitri doesn't know, and doesn't seem to care either. He said she was not really his mother since he was adopted and that she left him without even seeking custody in the divorce. He sounded very bitter about it. He only seems to care about Caius."

"Well, that's interesting. Wonder what happened to her?" Bella asked the question that was on all our minds. We left for lunch after that. Bella and I went to the doctor's in the afternoon.

The drive to the doctor's office was quick. Em followed us. Once I was parked, I went around and helped Bella out of the car, and with a quick look around the parking garage checking for anyone, I took her hand in mine and we walked into the building. We took the elevator up and started walking down a long hallway. When we were halfway down, Bella stopped and reached for a doorknob, but before she could turn it, I pulled her away.

"Edward?" She looked up into my eyes with a confused look.

"Before we go in, Bella, I just wanted to say that I love you." I smiled and kissed her lips.

"I love you too, Edward." She pecked my lips back and then opened the door.

We had been in the waiting room for about ten minutes when a nurse came in. Thank goodness, I don't think I could have sat there a moment longer. The 1960's type chair I was sitting on was very uncomfortable. I had tried to read a magazine or two to take my mind off what was about to happen, but the first one I opened had a topless woman, something about breastfeeding. I quickly closed that one and opened the other. It was no better, there was a woman sitting naked in a tub. That was about underwater birth. Who did that and why? I didn't want Bella to think I was looking at these women, so closed that magazine quickly and didn't dare pick up another one. Who knows what might be in the next one. Instead, I focused on the artwork and the notices posted on the wall, at least those were safe. This had to have been the longest ten minutes of my life.

"Mrs. Isabella Cullen, the doctor will see you now." I looked at Bella in shock, and she just shrugged. I glanced around the waiting room, worried that someone might have overheard the nurse. We were the only people there. I sighed in relief. Then I grinned like an idiot. She had given them her name, my name, Cullen.

It was only when Bella pulled on my hand that I realised that I was still sitting on the waiting room chair.

"This way, please." We were led into a room with a huge massage table like thing in the middle. I was puzzled by the bondage type stirrups.

"Please undress and get on the examination table. The doctor will be there with you in a few minutes." Bella laughed when my eyes lit up at the word undress.

"Shall I help you?"

"Edward, this is going to be embarrassing enough without you adding to it." Then she sighed.

"All right, just help me with the zipper." With my very helpful hand, Bella was sitting on the doctor's table with her bottom half covered. I had not asked Bella whether the doctor would be a male or a female. Shit! I didn't like the fact that someone else was going to examine Bella.

I heaved a sigh of relief when a woman dressed in a doctor's coat walked into the room. She introduced herself as Dr. Carmen. I liked her immediately. She had an easy going manner that put both of us at ease. It was only when she got a huge stick-like thing out after getting Bella to put her legs up in the stirrups that I decided I didn't like where this was going.

"Is that…I mean, is it going to hurt?" Shit! What was this woman going to do? Shove that thing up Bella's pussy? It belonged to me! Bella didn't look that comfortable either.

"It says here that you have never had a vaginal scan."

"Yes, they didn't do one because I was a virgin."

"Relax, it's not going to hurt. This will give us a better idea about what's going on inside you." Bella held onto my hand while the doctor inserted that thing in her. I felt her flinch once, but after that, she relaxed. I heaved a sigh of relief when the procedure was over.

Everything looked fine, and we were to start our treatments as soon as Bella got her period. She was to stop taking the pills immediately. Dr. Carmen was nice enough to explain everything in detail for me, even though Bella seemed to know most of it. She even gave me some booklets on the procedure. All the risks were also explained. I didn't like the idea of Bella having to go under anaesthesia for egg retrieval, but she laughed it off, saying she'd been sedated many times over the years for her operations. I didn't like the numerous injections either. But Bella seemed to take it in her stride. Both of us had to give blood samples to be tested for diseases. And then came the most embarrassing part of all.

"Mr. Cullen, we need you to give us a semen sample to check viability." And to my horror, I was handed a tiny bottle. _What the hell?_

"We need a sample of your sperm, Mr. Cullen. You can use one of the rooms at the end of the corridor." _Are you kidding me?_

"Er, you mean…I mean…"

"Just collect the sample in the bottle and hand it over at the counter before you leave." With that, the nurse disappeared, leaving me holding the small bottle. Bella suddenly burst out laughing.

"Bella!" I chided her.

"Edward, you should have seen the look on your face."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, let's get this thing over with." I tried to pull Bella along towards the rooms the nurse had pointed out.

"Oh, no you don't." I could see Bella turning red at the idea of me doing it in front of her. Mmm…now that was interesting.

"Bella, I can't do this alone. I need…er, inspiration?" Bella's eyes grew huge, and her blush deepened.

"Love, I really do need you there with me. It will help a lot…" I squeezed her hand trying to convince her.

"Come on, Edward. It's not like you've not done it without me."

"It's nothing like the real thing." I winked at her.

"But they will all know that I went into the room with you." She pointed at the nurse and the assistants behind the counter who were discussing something.

"They are not even looking at us, love. I'm sure you are not the first to join her husband while he made er…the collection." At this, Bella burst into laughter again.

"Fine, let's go, before I change my mind." It was Bella who pulled me into a room and shut the door.

I was surprised to see some magazines on a small table near a doctor's bed. There was a small chair and a wash basin in the room.

"Mmm…looks like they provide inspiration from the hospital." Bella reached her hand to pick up one of the magazines that had a blond with big fake boobs on the cover.

"Bella, don't touch those. God knows who did what with them." Bella cringed away from the table full of magazines.

"Yuck Edward! Let's get this done and get out of here." The semi I had sported initially at the idea of Bella watching me had disappeared at the sight of the inspiring magazines. Shit! This really was a difficult task. I was beginning to have a lot of respect for the men who donated sperm to sperm banks. Suddenly, I was having performance anxiety. I had never faced this situation. I was also having worries about whether my swimmers were good enough for the treatment. What if they weren't? What if I couldn't get Bella pregnant?

"Edward, what is it?" Bella put a small hand on my cheek, trying to get me to look at her.

"Love, I've never had my sperm checked. What if the quality is not good enough?" I sighed.

"Edward, we only need one little swimmer. I've heard that there are methods to even get couples with a very low sperm count to get pregnant."

"Really?" I honestly knew nothing about fertility treatments other than what I had learned today. I decided to do a full scale internet research so that I could help Bella along the way.

"Yes, now stop worrying and strip." I liked this take-charge Bella. Before I could even reach for my pants, Bella was already pulling down the zipper. Someone was eager.

"So, Cullen, show me how you do it." Bella stood there, looking at me expectantly. And little Ed quickly raised his head, eager to please her. I pulled down my boxers and took myself in hand. Suddenly I felt embarrassed. We'd been together a lot now, and Bella had seen all there is to see. But this felt very intimate. I remembered the day she had caught me in the shower. It had turned me on to know that Bella was in the other room. But now to have her watching me…I blushed.

Soft lips placed kisses all over my face and her tiny hand joined mine on my shaft. I forgot about everything else, concentrating on the touch of her lips and the movement of our hands.

"You look so sexy, Edward." Bella's whisper in my ear heightened my pleasure. She bit on it.

"Bella, I…I'm close…" I vaguely remembered it was important for me to tell this.

"Just a moment, hold on." I felt something touching me but I was too far gone to think about much.

"Come for me, love." I felt Bella's hand touch my balls and that was it—I let go.

I quickly dressed and handed over the container at the counter. Shit! I knew I was blushing like hell. All these women must know what we were up to, but to my relief, they didn't even give me a second glance. I was glad they acted so professional.

Bella was talking on the phone when I got back to her after my embarrassing visit to the counter.

"Oh my God, Mom! Really?" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Bella smiled and told me to hold on a second. She said her goodbyes to her mother.

"Guess what? She had family photos taken with Caius's wife, Dora. And now she remembers who Tanya reminded her of. It was Dora. She says Tanya looks a lot like her. They could be related." Bella was grinning like an idiot.

"Wow! That's good news. So that could be the link between Tanya and the Volturi. We have to find out if Tanya is related to Dora and whether she has been in contact with her."

**A/N: Do you think Tanya is related to Dora? If so who is she working for, Caius, Aro or Marcus? What about Dimitri? What do you think about Alice's discovery? Thank you very much for the lovely reviews:) **

**A big thank you to Dazzleglo and Twimarti. The waiting room magazines were Dazzleglo's idea. Thanks to her Edward had some very interesting reading material! **

**I have a question for my Italian readers. What is the status of recognition for same gender marriages in Italy? **


	39. Chapter 39 Happy Birthday

**Chapter 39**

**Happy Birthday**

**Bella's POV**

Today was my birthday. This past week had been a hectic one for all of us. However, it had been a dream come true to finally move in and sleep in the same bed with Edward. It was really nice to wake up with a warm body wrapped around me, and even nicer to have Edward make love to me. Right now a certain someone was poking me in the back. I grinned. I smiled as I pressed against him. I could hear his groan and had to stifle a laugh.

"Happy birthday, love," a very sleepy voice whispered in my ear and all of a sudden I wanted to claim my birthday present.

"Thank you," I rubbed against him again. I heard a low chuckle.

"So you want your birthday present," this time a very-much-awake, velvety soft voice asked me. I turned around to face him.

"What do you think?" I laughed at his expression, which was one of pure delight.

"Mmm…I think you want your birthday present." And to my disappointment he got up from the bed. He looked good in his blue silk pyjama pants.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To get your birthday present." Edward gave me a devilish look.

"That's not the one I wanted," I grumbled when Edward pulled out a huge nicely wrapped box from his closet.

"What present did you want?" He asked questioningly.

"Oh, never mind." I put on a pouty face. Edward came back on to the bed and pulled me to him kissing me on the lips.

"You know I will always want to give you what you want, don't you?" He kissed me on my nose, "fulfill your every desire." He kissed me behind my ear. "Make love to you, till you beg me to stop,"a kiss on my collar bone. He would have continued like that if I didn't pull back.

"Let me open this, and then you can fulfil my every desire." I grinned and him. I was just too curious to know what he had got me. I hoped he hadn't spent too much.

When I opened the box, I gasped. There were many sets of lacy underwear and all from Victoria's Secret and La Perla. Wow. In spite of the fact that this must have cost him a small fortune, I didn't want to comment on it since it wouldn't be nice, especially since he had gone to all this hassle just to get me this.

"Bella, I hope you like it. Alice helped me make the selections." His look was one of an eager little boy.

"They are lovely. I was wondering how you knew my size." He looked a bit sheepish when I asked this.

"What?"

"I er…I checked in your underwear drawer." And he blushed. Oh! Shit! He must have seen all my old stuff. I had a few nice pairs I made sure to wear when I was with Edward. But my old stuff had seen better days. And they were not exactly sexy to look at. Did he think I needed new underwear? But he must have made the decision before he looked in there. Anyway, I shouldn't be ashamed of my things. He knew I couldn't afford to splurge on stuff because I was saving for the treatments. I decided not to make a huge issue out of it.

"Well, that's sneaky." I smiled at him and blushed thinking about wearing the things he had got me. I didn't pull them out as I was too embarrassed to do that. I could tell most of them were barely there scraps of lace. But there were a few corsets as well. Mmm… now those are going to be interesting. Edward met my eyes and I instantly knew he knew what I was thinking from the smouldering look in his eyes.

"I want my other present now…" I whispered as I placed the box on the floor.

"I'll give it to you gladly." He pulled me against him and we fell into our familiar rhythm. Making love to Edward was so intense and yet very calming for me.

We had just finished when there was a loud knock on the door. Edward reluctantly got up and opened the door to a hyper pixie who immediately flung herself into the bed.

"Wakey, wakey, it's your birthday, Bella," the pixie jumped onto the bed bouncing on it, while Jazz leaned against the door jab grinning.

"Come on, let me sleep a bit more. It's my birthday after all."

"Happy, happy birthday, Bella!" She handed me two gift cards. Then started talking non-stop.

"Bella, we've got a surprise for you, you've got to get up!" Alice bounced some more on the bed making me bounce along with her.

"Do I have to? You know I don't like surprises that much." I moaned burying my head in the pillow, it still smelt of Edward.

"Bella, happy birthday. And you'd better wake up. We'll be late for work," Jazz said from the doorway.

"Not you too—I really don't want to go to work today," I groaned. I knew the reason of course. We all knew. Dimitri was supposed to come for his surprise visit today. I hated the fact that, that idiot was going to ruin my birthday.

"Hey, we could play hooky and not go to work today! Carlisle did say to take the whole week off." The pixie had a mischievous look on her face.

"Can we?" I found myself suddenly sitting up all thoughts of sleep forgotten. "I don't want to go to work," I grumbled.

"Then you don't have to go to work." Edward came behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"But I didn't go the whole of this week."

"It's your birthday. So you should take the day off."

"But what about Dimitri?"

"What about him?" Edward lazily kissed the crook of my neck.

"He's coming to meet me today."

"Did he tell you he was coming?"

"No."

"Then you don't know he's coming right?"

"Edward's right. If you don't know he's coming, he can't expect you to be there at work today. After all it's your birthday. It's very likely that you would have taken the day off even under normal circumstances." Jazz pointed out.

"That's right. That should teach him not to be so presumptuous about everything." Edward grinned.

"Hey, let's go shopping! You can get some stuff with my gift cards." The pixie was jumping up and down in her excitement.

"Don't forget the ones I got you," Edward said.

"What?" I turned around surprised.

"They are at the bottom of the box."

"Edward! My God, that's too much." I turned to go to the box again, but Edward beat me to it.

"Maybe I should keep them with me." He grabbed and envelope from the bottom of the box and held it high up in his hand.

"Edward! Please, really, it's too much."

"You are my wife now, Bella. I should have the right to buy you what I want for your birthday."

"Let me see them." I tried to reach for the cards but he turned around and ran out of the room. When I tried to go after him the pixie held on to my arm.

"Bella, I think you should accept the cards from him. It'll make him happy. He was so excited when he went shopping for you. And he talked non-stop about taking you shopping to get stuff with the gift cards."

"But Alice, the stuff he already got must have cost him a fortune."

"Don't you already own half of it anyway?" She pointed out and I groaned. "And Bella, I think you should get some really good office clothes. Specially, for your meeting with Dimitri."

"What do you mean?" _What did this have to do with Dimitri?_

"Edward said that Dimitri thinks that you are going to be very grateful to him for marrying you. He assumes that since you are from a small town you don't have much money and would love the chance to get rich." And a light bulb went on in my head.

"Of course! He's going to take one look at what I am wearing and then going to see them for what they are." I sighed.

"Bella, don't be silly. He won't know how much the scarves or what your clothes cost. But you have to admit that he would most likely recognise designer wear from normal wear."

"I know."

"So why don't you wear something good? I mean Edward and I have already paid for the gift cards. We can't return them. So why not get some stuff? Besides, I've never seen him so excited about shopping. Let him do this for you." She did make sense.

"Okay, fine. Let's go shopping!" I did like shopping, but I rarely went since I couldn't afford to buy anything. I didn't want to torture myself by going window shopping.

"Yippie! I made muffins for breakfast. Come eat and then let's go!" With that the pixie ran downstairs.

I ran out behind her yelling, "Edward Cullen, you get back here with my gift cards." I heard him laughing. As I ran down the hall he turned the corner and we ploughed into one another.

He wrapped his arms around me, the cards in his hand behind me now, so I distracted him with a searing kiss. I quickly plucked them out of his hand and wiggled away.

"Sorry, sweetheart." I pecked his shocked face and ran down the steps with him hot on my heels. "Alice, shopping party, courtesy of my husband. All you can carry is on the house." I could hear him laughing as he followed behind me. If this made him happy, who was I to deny him.

I entered the kitchen and Alice told me to sit down at the table. I took my seat putting the gift cards on the table to pull my chair in.

Edward walked over holding a chocolate cake with candles on top of it.

"Wow! Where did that come from?" I exclaimed.

"Well, little Miss Muffin here decided to bake you a cake as well," he said as he placed it in front of me.

"Thank you, Alice. I don't know what to say."

"You are welcome, Bella. Now blow out the candles and make a wish." She giggled.

"Okay." I knew exactly what I was wishing for and blew out the candle.

Today was Friday. The pixie and I had been at home from Tuesday. Carlisle had insisted on giving both Alice and me the rest of the week off. He said it was his wedding present to us. We had worked till late on Monday to finish off the backlog. I didn't have much to do since Edward himself had not been there so there were no new contracts. Alice, of course, was in seventh heaven, but I was reluctant to leave the office without Edward. But Edward had also insisted that I take the rest of the week off with Alice. I had discovered that Edward really didn't have many things in the house. He had some basic kitchen utensils, but other than that the house was sparsely furnished. There were a few pieces of furniture from his old home. He said they were his mother Elizabeth's selections. He told me that we needed to get the house properly furnished and I should go ahead and buy everything that's needed.

On Wednesday morning Mrs. Webber, my neighbour had called me and told me that there was a vehicle parked in front of my place. When I called Em he had told me that it was Dimitri. My truck was parked in front of my apartment. We thought it best to keep it there so that it will be difficult to trace my whereabouts. Dimitri had apparently spent the whole of Tuesday there waiting for me to come out. He had even rung the bell and hidden. Mrs. Webber thought we should call the police and I told her we already knew who he was and just to ignore him. She was going to keep an eye on him for me.

I had only gone home on Wednesday night when Dimitri had gone back to his hotel. I had taken all my paintings from my apartment at Edward's insistence to hang at our house. He thought they were beautiful. He still didn't know I had painted them. I felt too embarrassed to tell him. Painting was just a hobby for me. I only liked to do landscapes. I was horrible at drawing people. But the paintings did go nicely with the country theme and Elizabeth's furniture. The house also felt homier with a part of me hanging there.

Edward's kitchen was a dream to cook in. After a lot of arguing Edward had finally agreed to let me cook. He didn't let me spend a cent on household items insisting that I was now his wife and I should buy everything with what he referred to as our money. He had even changed bank accounts to joint accounts. I had also changed my account to a joint account with him. I just hoped he didn't look at the balance in it. It was nearly empty since I sent most of the money I had saved for the treatments to my parents. The bank was going to foreclose their house and I was not going to be able to sell my apartment like I initially planned. So instead I sent my savings. I was nearly bankrupt till my next pay check. We had also been hoping that I would get part of the inheritance to pay off some of the debt. But we hadn't heard from Italy at all. Hopefully, they'll contact me soon.

So I had insisted that I wanted to at least do our cooking because he was taking care of the rest. I hadn't really been planning on agreeing with him at all but I really had little choice because I couldn't sell my apartment. I was thinking of telling Edward, but it felt like I was asking for money. I didn't want to do that. I was sure he'll just offer to give money and because of the current situation he wouldn't want me to sell the apartment. A cleaning service took care of the household cleaning.

To my delight Edward also decided to take the day off and go shopping with us. The pixie went wild selecting stuff and I had a great time trying them on and parading in front of Edward. To my annoyance the price tags were removed from the items brought for me to go through. So I had no idea how much the stuff cost. I should have looked at the amount as soon as I got hold of the gift cards. Edward had been sneaky and taken the gift cards back while I had been distracted. But I could tell Edward was happy that I was buying stuff and that's all I wanted

**Edward's POV**

I was glad Bella agreed to go shopping. I had been dreading the moment she would discover the gift cards. Luckily for me she never got to see them, even though she had managed to grab them from my hand when she distracted me with that kiss. That was some kiss. Then the cheeky monkey took off running with the gift cards. I couldn't help but laugh as I followed her to the kitchen. While she was making her wish and blowing out the candle I slipped the cards back into my pocket.

Ally had managed to convince Bella to go shopping, after explaining to her that Dimitri was the kind of person to judge someone by their clothing. At this moment I was thankful to him because Bella was finally going to buy the things she desperately needed. The stuff she had barely filled one tenth of Bella's side in the master bedroom closet she was sharing with me.

We had been at the store for nearly an hour when Carlisle called me to tell us that Dimitri had come. He had informed him that Bella was on leave. Carlisle told us he wished we could have seen the look on his face. Well, I intended to take a look. Em should have the footage from Carlisle's office. Lauren the assistant to our HR head Mr. Banner's had called the pixie and asked her to come to work but the pixie had politely refused saying she was on leave. I was mad at Carlisle for promoting Lauren to that post when rightfully it should have been the pixie. Sometimes Carlisle thought with his dick. Lauren had been the blond Bella had seen Carlisle making out with at the company dinner where I met her. Poor Ally ended up doing all her work. I was sure Lauren wanted Alice back at work to get the documents and presentation ready for Monday's board meeting. Usually Ally did all the work and Lauren got all the credit from HR head Mr. Banner. What I couldn't understand was how Mr. Banner continued to be so dense and not realise that Lauren was not doing her job.

We had a really nice time during the weekend. On Friday night Carlisle, Esme, Em, Rose and Seth all came to dinner to celebrate Bella's birthday. It was nice to have them all there. I wished Bella's parents could have also been there. Jacob was coming on Monday to meet Carlisle and start work at Cullen Enterprises. Em told us that Dimitri flew to Vegas for the weekend. So we really had a nice time shopping for the remaining furniture for the house. Most of the basic things were now done and the secret service agents were doing a good job with the interior. They did everything we asked them to do and I was very impressed with their work. Of course Bella had to come up with the colour schemes and everything since they were not really decorators.

It was with a lot of trepidation that I went to work on Monday. Bella and I had decided during the weekend to tell Carlisle and Rosalie that we were married. Now that it was passed Bella's birthday, the inheritance should rightfully be hers.

We had just got to office when Em called me.

"Good morning, Em."

"Morning, Ed. Rosalie will be off since she worked the weekend."

"So I guess we won't be able to tell her about our marriage today then."

"Guess not. Listen man. That's not why I called. I don't think you should tell Carlisle.

"Why not?"

"Edward, I hate to tell you this, but the old man is upto his old tricks again."

"What now?" I couldn't believe this.

"He called Aro again. I've got the recording."

"What did they say?"

"Well…Dora is in fact Tanya's mom. But Aro is not her dad."

"What?"

"There's more. But we can't go into that right now. We don't have the time."

"Why not?"

"Bella's future fiancé is in your conference room." I groaned.

"Doesn't that idiot need his beauty sleep or something?"

"Apparently not."

"Guess, we'd better get there then."

I took Bella's hand in mine when we reached the conference room in our floor.

"Come on, Bella. Put your game face on. You can do it. That idiot doesn't stand a chance. I'll even be there with you."

"It's okay, Edward. I think I have to do this alone. I can handle him. I just have to inform him that I'm married to you and can't marry him. That's all." Bella smiled, but I could tell she was nervous.

"Let's hope he takes the news well. Good luck love. I know you can do it." I planted a kiss on her lips and rushed back to my office. The others were all there to watch the security footage from the conference room.

"Isabella Swan, it's nice to finally meet you." She shook his offered hand but when he tried to kiss it she pulled her hand away. That's my girl.

"You must be Dimitri Volturi." Bella gave Dimitri a tight lipped smile.

"Yes, your future husband. I presume you have already read the terms of inheritance in Marcus's letter." Dimitri had a look full of self-importance. _The smug bastard_.

"Of course I have." Bella had a grim look on her face.

"Then allow me to propose." Dimitri got down on one knee and pulled out a black velvet ring box.

"But, but…" Bella tried to interrupt but Dimitri held up his hand.

"Let me do this correctly. Don't interrupt, Isabella, when a man is trying to propose." Bella's face went red with anger at the rebuttal and her lips formed in to a thin line. When he tried to reach for her hand she pulled it back. Dimitri frowned but continued with his proposal. He opened the ring box and held up a large, gaudy looking gold ring with a huge stone on top of it to Bella.

"Isabella Swan, marry me. You can have all the luxuries in the world." His look on his face said she should be grateful that he was offering her this courtesy.

"Thank you for your generous proposal. But I can't," I could see the unholy gleam in Bella's eyes. This man was asking for it.

"What?" for once Dimitri was taken aback. He stood up abruptly. It was obvious didn't expect her to refuse. Probably no one has ever refused him anything in his life.

"Because I'm already married. That's what I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me." Bella held out her left hand with my rings on her finger. What we didn't expect was Dimitri's out burst.

"You stupid woman! How could you do this to me? You led me on, and now." He threw his hands up in the air. His face was red with rage.

I seriously wanted to punch him on the face for calling my Bella…that. _Led him on? Was this fellow dreaming?_ _In what world did Bella ever meet him, let alone lead him on?_ I got out of my seat to rush to her side. Em put a hand on my shoulder and shook his head no. He was right. I knew Bella could handle him and she would be upset I barged in. It's just that I didn't like the way that idiot spoke to her.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that Mr. Volturi. If you don't behave like a gentleman I'll walk out of this room right now. I do not wish to speak to someone who does not treat me with respect." Bella spoke in a voice that meant business. From the look on Dimitri's face he didn't expect her to react like that.

"I beg your pardon, madam," Dimitri said, surprising us all.

"Apology accepted." I was sure Dimitri said it as an insult but Bella decided to take it at face value. I think she didn't want to create any more drama.

Dimitri started pacing the floor rubbing his chin. Then suddenly he turned around to face her.

"Wait a minute, you are trying to fool me aren't you? No one's going to believe you. I didn't hear anything about a wedding and you should have only received the letter last week. When Grandpa checked a few weeks ago, you didn't even have a boyfriend. Don't you dare try to con me."

He pointed an accusing finger at Bella, who was fuming. I could tell she was too angry to even open her mouth. Her hands were on her hips and I saw her take a deep breath.

"Mr. Volturi…" Before she could continue the conference room door burst open and Carlisle walked in.

_What the hell? What was he doing here?_

**A/N: Thank you very much for your lovely reviews:) So what do you think about Dimitri's proposal? What do you think Carlisle is planning to do? And why did he call Aro again? **

**Thank you Dazzleglo for beta'ing. Loved your humour. **


	40. Chapter 40 Secrets

**Chapter 40 **

**Edward's POV**

**Secrets**

"_Wait a minute. You are trying to fool me, aren't you? No one's going to believe you. I didn't hear anything about a wedding, and you should have only received the letter last week. When Grandpa checked a few weeks ago, you didn't even have a boyfriend. Don't you dare try to con me." _

_He pointed an accusing finger at Bella, who was fuming. I could tell she was too angry to even open her mouth. Her hands were on her hips, and I saw her take a deep breath. _

"_Mr. Volturi…" Before she could continue, the conference room door burst open and Carlisle walked in. _

_What the hell? What was he doing here? _

We hadn't noticed his arrival since all of us had been glued to the screen watching Dimitri and Bella.

"Hello, Dimitri. Nice to meet you again." Carlisle held out his hand with a smile, pretending to be unaware of the tense situation in the room. I could tell he knew exactly what he was doing from the way he kept clenching and unclenching his free hand.

"Ahh, Carlisle, nice to meet you too." He managed to look just as calm and collected as Carlisle and even pulled Carlisle in for a hug and patted him on the back. Just like old friends. Old friends, my ass!

"Good morning, Bella." Carlisle gave Bella a kiss on her face. I could tell Bella was still tense, but she was holding herself back. "Morning, Carlisle." Bella half-heartedly replied.

"I was just having a little discussion with Isabella here. As you know, she won't be able to continue working for you." Dimitri talked as if there was no question about Bella leaving the company. I could tell he, too, was a good actor.

"Why the hell not? I'm not quitting, Carlisle." Bella's calm façade broke at the man's outrageous comment.

"Of course not, dear. We would love to have you here until you want to leave. And why may I ask do you think she wants to quit, Dimitri?" Carlisle had an innocent questioning smile on his face. He really was good at this. I'm beginning to think he missed his true calling as an actor.

"Like I told you, this woman is going to marry me, and as my wife, will be accompanying me to Italy," Dimitri explained patronisingly.

"But she doesn't seem to want to now, does she?" Carlisle asked with raised eyebrows and turned to look at Bella.

"I don't care what she thinks. She's going to have to marry me, and that's Grandpa's wish." Dimitri stated as if that was a foregone conclusion. The nerve of this man!

"I'm right here, gentlemen," Bella said a bit loudly. I could tell Bella didn't like being talked about as if she was not there.

"Of course, dear." Carlisle gave a comforting pat on Bella's back, and she huffed. My girl was really angry.

"And she had the nerve to tell me she was married already and couldn't marry me," Dimitri complained.

"Yes. She's right. She can't marry you because she's already married." Carlisle said, pretending to think deeply about it, while rubbing his chin.

"What?" For once, Dimitri stood stock still, staring at Carlisle as if he had grown two heads.

"I went to her wedding last Sunday. She's married to the lovely Miss, or should I say Mrs. Alice Brandon working in our human resources department." Carlisle smiled at Bella, and the corners of her lips turned up slightly in a small smile. _Oh shit! Not again_. Maybe we should have just told Carlisle about our wedding.

"You'll pay for this. I'll make sure you'll pay for this." Dimitri slammed his hand down on the table in front of him.

I didn't like his violent behaviour. I was just about to run to the conference room when Em stopped me. He shook his head no at me. He was right—we had to let this play out. And I knew Bella wanted to handle this herself.

"Now, hold it just a moment, Dimitri. Isabella is free to marry Alice, who I think she'd been dating for a while now. And since the non-fraternisation policy in this company was lifted, they tied the knot." Carlisle gave a very reasonable explanation.

"Wait a minute. Did you say, Alice? As in a…another girl!" Dimitri burst out laughing like a madman. Carlisle drew back from him, pulling Bella closer to his side. This fellow really was insane.

"She can't marry another woman! It's not legal." He waved a hand at Bella, trying very hard to hold in his laughter. One hand was on his chest as he doubled over laughing.

"Of course I can. It's perfectly legal here in this State." Bella raised her eyebrows at him.

"But it's not recognised in Italy, so in the eyes of the law there, you are not married." Dimitri continued to laugh.

"Well, I don't care what the Italian law says. I live here in the States, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future." Bella's voice was loud and clear. Her hands were back on her hips.

"You foolish girl! Did you think about the money? You won't get a cent if you don't marry me." Dimitri's voice grew hard again and there was a smug look on his face.

"I don't give a damn about the money—you and your grandfather can keep it. As far as I'm concerned I'm already married. And even if I weren't—I wouldn't marry a pompous idiot like you. End of discussion."

With that Bella just turned and left the room.

Carlisle's eyes had grown huge in surprise when Bella had said she didn't care about the money. Dimitri was standing there with his jaw hanging open in shock. And then everyone around me, who was watching the drama unfold on screen, stood up and started clapping. That's my girl. She deserved the standing ovation. Moments later, Bella burst into the room. I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly against my chest. Everyone was full of praise for the way Bella handled the situation. We watched a dejected looking Dimitri leave the building after bidding Carlisle a good day.

It was sometime later when things calmed down a bit that Em spoke.

"Shall I play the conversation Carlisle had with Aro?" Everyone agreed to this. We listened carefully as Carlisle's voice came over the phone line.

"_Hello, Aro."_

"_Ah, Carlisle, to what do I owe this pleasure?"_

"_Stop playing around, Aro. I have to ask you something. Is Tanya your daughter?"_ Talk about getting right to the point! My father truly doesn't seem to believe in beating about the bush now, does he?

"_No. She's Dora's daughter from one of her lovers."_

"_How do you know it's not yours?"_

"_Well, my friend. There are ways to take some pleasure and not how do you say it, sow your wild oats?"_

"_Cut the crap, Aro. Do you mean to say you used protection with her?"_

"_Yes, my friend. I'm always careful when I'm with somebody. As you know, I'm a good catch. I don't want the ladies to try and capture me. And also, Dora had Tanya before she even married Caius. I didn't even know her at the time."_ Shit! Why hadn't we checked Tanya's age against Caius and Dora's marriage certificate? I was sure the secret service could have obtained it if they wanted to.

"_Caius doesn't know this?" _

"_No, he doesn't."_

"_Okay, so you are sure she's not yours?"_

"_I'm very sure."_

"_But why didn't you tell me she was Dora's daughter when you recommended her to me as my_ _assistant?"_ What the hell? Tanya was recommended by Aro? Why didn't Carlisle tell us this when we suspected Tanya? Hell, we already know she's guilty.

"_I knew you didn't want anything to do with my, how do I put it? My pretty ladies. I know you hate to share, and I knew you would be biased if I told you anything."_

Carlisle sighed.

"_You know she's qualified for the job, don't you? I'm sure she proved herself during the time she was with you for the past year?" _

That was a valid argument. Both Carlisle and I knew that Tanya indeed was a very good assistant when it came to performance. Angela had originally been Carlisle's personal assistant, and he had given her to me, when he started grooming me to takeover. It was a little over a year ago that Tanya was hired to replace Angela as Carlisle's personal assistant.

"_And if you wanted to—you know play a bit…I knew you wouldn't want anything to do with Dora."_ What the hell?

"_Aro, that was very thoughtful of you. But I'm afraid Tanya had her sights set on Edward, not me."_

Bella gasped and looked at me in shock. I couldn't help the guilty look on my face. I hadn't told her about Tanya's little strip tease. _Shit!_ I put a hand on Bella's knee, shaking my head no. Bella huffed and turned away from me. _Double shit!_ I realised how little we really knew about each other. I didn't even know whether Bella had ever had to face similar incidents in her life. I'll have to talk to her. I couldn't very well do much with the others still here.

"_Ah, I see. So did she make any progress?" _

I sighed. Hopefully, my father will prove my innocence.

"_Unfortunately no. I have no idea what Edward wants. Anyway, enough about that. I'm not very happy with you for not telling me."_

"_So now, my friend, about Bella. When are you going to get someone to marry her?"_

"_I'm not sure whether I can do that. You see, Dimitri is already here."_

"_Stop him from marrying her. Carlisle, we have an agreement. You know what you will lose if you don't do what I say, don't you?" _

To my surprise, Carlisle sighed in defeat.

"_I know, Aro. That's why I agreed to try to sort this mess out for you. But things don't always go the way we want, do they?"_

"_So are you willing to lose?"_

"_No, that's not an option. I want to keep the promise I made. So your wish is that Bella marries someone other than Dimitri?"_ As if he could do anything! Carlisle knew Bella was already married. What was he trying to do? Buy time? That could be the only reason.

"_Yes. Anyone other than Dimitri."_

"_So I still fulfil the terms of our agreement if she marries anyone other than Dimitri."_

"_That's right, my friend. Now that Dimitri is in the States, I'm sure he's going to propose to Bella."_

"_I met him for dinner last week, and you are right. He's waiting to propose."_

"_Well, stop it! There's a lot at stake here. If you don't do anything soon, I will have to take action. And I'm sure it won't be to your liking."_ Aro's voice was harsh and threatening. I shuddered to think what Aro would do.

"_Alright, I'll see what I can do about that."_ Carlisle hung up.

Em said what we were all thinking. "So Carlisle is still keeping things from us."

"Oh, shit. He's on his way here." Alice pointed to the screen. Carlisle was indeed heading this way.

"It's okay. He has to know we would watch the drama in the conference room." I pointed out.

Angela informed me that Carlisle was on his way in, and after a brief knock, he entered.

"Edward, I don't know what you were thinking—but this is not the way to go."

He slammed a tabloid on my desk. He looked very upset. Everyone was shocked since we expected him to talk about Dimitri. I stared at the tabloid in confusion, then gasped in shock.

Right on the front page, there was a picture of Ally and me carrying several Victoria's Secret bags and coming out of that store. The headlines read 'The Cullen heir finally starts to follow in his father's footsteps." Shit! I met Ally's eyes, and she looked as shocked as I felt.

"Explain yourself."

"He…he was just helping me buy my birthday present to Bella," Ally said as she and Bella both blushed.

"You needed Edward to select underwear for Bella? I would have thought Rosalie or even Jacob would have been a better choice." Carlisle raised his eyebrows.

"You don't know Edward like I do, Carlisle. His taste is impeccable. Bella doesn't like too many pretty colours like I do, so I decided to take him."

"Fine. Next time, be careful. And here I was telling Dimitri that you were married to Bella. I hope he doesn't see this nonsense. Oh, and I think Tanya is too old to be Aro's daughter. She's thirty-two, and even if Caius and Dora didn't get divorced, they would have only celebrated their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary this year."

He turned around and walked right out of the door. Well, that was interesting. I guess he was not going to tell us about the conversation he had with Aro. What was so important for my father to keep things from his own son? I felt a bit hurt that he didn't trust me.

The next three weeks passed without any further incident. The tabloid story picked up a bit, and the secret service had caught a pap trying to sneak into my backyard. Ally and Jazz moved back to their place so that the paparazzi didn't capture photos of Ally in my house. And finally, Bella and I were alone in our house, and no one thought anything much about it. We were going to tell Rosalie, but we didn't really get around to actually doing it. I think we just wanted to avoid the drama we knew she would create once she knew the truth. Bella got her period after stopping her pills and we started on the treatments. It was painful for me to watch her injecting herself everyday with all the medicine. But this was the only way. I helped her where I could. She became a bit moody, but we were closer to each other than ever before. Especially after I had come clean about what happened with Tanya.

There were also moments that I didn't really know what to make of her behaviour. Last Saturday, when I brought the giant mixer that had just got delivered to the kitchen, she hugged the box and started crying. Then she baked a batch of tasty chocolate-chip cookies and wouldn't stop laughing as we fed them to each other. I couldn't even think of what we did with the leftover chocolate chips without getting a hard-on. She later told me she cried because she was happy, but I'm still not sure whether she was telling me the truth. But one thing I know for sure—I was falling in love with Bella more each day. When I told her this, she joked that it was because of her cooking. She insisted that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. I don't know about that theory, but I'm not going to dispute it, because, boy could Bella cook! Her food was delicious. The only negative side to sleeping with Bella was that she was a restless sleeper. She would get up at all hours in the night. I could tell the treatments and the anxiety over what Dimitri would do next was playing a role in that.

**Bella's POV**

The past couple of weeks had been really great. Alice and I had spent all our days buying stuff for the house. I actually had a list of things I would buy for my dream house when I got my inheritance, so this made it very easy. My list of kitchen items was very extensive; even Alice was surprised. We ordered some of the stuff straight from the internet since I had already done the window shopping part of it. That was what I used to do when I had nothing better to do in the evenings.

I had decided to keep all the furniture from Edward's childhood home. It was obvious he loved the memories, so the house was going to be furnished in a country style. The house itself was more suited to that style. It was obvious Edward had tried to recreate his childhood home in the countryside by buying this house. Every night, all of us would sit together and go through colour schemes and what to buy for each room. Edward had given the pixie the task of furnishing the guest bedroom they stayed in. And to my surprise, the pixie went with a red and black colour scheme. It was bold, but nice. I had been really scared she would make it a rainbow room.

I had started treatment and Edward was so sweet trying to do everything he could to help me. We were now alone in the house after the paparazzi incident. I missed both Alice and Jasper, but loved the privacy we got after they left. I don't think there was any surface left in the house that we hadn't christened.

Jacob had come for the interview. Leaving the business at La Push had not been as easy as we had initially thought. Jacob had to train the others on what needed to be done to run the business smoothly. So he took some time to get everything organised. He would be starting work next week. We had kept an eye on Tanya and nothing unusual had happened.

Although I really felt I was truly blessed to have this magical life with Edward, I still had a lot of uncertainty and worry. I was really worried that the treatment wouldn't work and I would fail to produce the heir that Carlisle wanted. I knew Edward would also be devastated even though he pretended otherwise. My grandfather had also failed to contact me about the inheritance. We still had a lot of debt left over and I need the money to pay it off, especially since I still hadn't been able to convince Edward to let me sell my apartment. I didn't want to ask him for money since he was already spending so much for the treatments. Mom and dad were both very worried. And to top it all the anxiety was keeping me up during the night and I know I'm disturbing Edward's sleep as well. I really didn't know what to do. Edward was always so sweet about it, making me warm milk and rubbing my feet. I felt so loved and cherished. Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world to have a husband like Edward.

**Edward's POV**

It was early Monday morning when Ally called me. Jazz hadn't come into work as yet. Bella and I had started driving to work separately with Seth picking up Bella from my place every morning. I drove with Em.

"Ed, can you meet me in your conference room? I just…I've some news, and I don't know how to tell Bella."

"Okay. I'll be right there." Bella hadn't arrived at work yet, so I rushed to the conference room, wondering what was going on.

As soon as I entered, I could see the glitter of tears in Ally's eyes.

"Ally, what's wrong?" I went to her and put an arm around her.

"Nothing is exactly wrong, Ed. I…I actually have some good news. I'm pregnant." A tiny smile graced her lips.

"Oh, that's great, Ally. Congratulations." I hugged the pixie to me. I knew how much this meant to Ally.

"I…I don't know how to tell Bella. I mean…it's not like we were trying, right? It just happened." She looked at me helplessly.

"I know." I really didn't know how Bella would take the news, especially, with her mood swings. She would sometimes get upset at the slightest thing and cry, like the incident with the mixer.

"What are we going to do?" Huge pixie eyes stared at me.

"I really don't know, Ally." To my horror the pixie started crying. I held her in my arms trying to soothe her. Just as I leaned down and planted a comforting kiss on her forehead, the door burst open and Rosalie barged in.

"You asshole. You got her pregnant, didn't you?" I could tell she was fuming as she pointed an accusing finger at me. I was glad it was a finger and not her gun. This was very confusing.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The paparazzi got it right. I was the idiot who believed you. You are having an affair, aren't you? And you slept with Alice."

"What?" Ally and I both said at the same time.

"How could you do this to her, Alice? How could you ever do this to the person you love?" She slammed out of the room before either of us could even open our mouths. _What just happened?_

Ally and I stared at each other. I knew the exact moment both of us realised what must have happened. Rosalie must have been reviewing the footage from the security cameras and caught us in this conference room. I played through our conversation again, and I couldn't remember mentioning Jazz being the father. Anyone who listened to us would have assumed that Alice and I were the guilty parties, especially since Ally was talking about how difficult it was going to be to tell Bella! No wonder Rosalie jumped to the wrong conclusions! _Holy f*cking shit! This is all we needed on top of everything else that was going on!_

**A/N: Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I got. So what do you think about how Bella handled Dimitri? What's Carlisle upto? What is Rosalie going to do about the affair she thinks Edward is having with Alice? **

**A very big thank you goes out to Twimarti and Dazzleglo for being beta's for this chapter. **


End file.
